Because some of us spend part of our reproductive years trying not to get pregnant, we might be surprised to learn that it’s not always that easy to get pregnant. In fact, there’s a relatively short window in your menstrual cycle that’s ideal for conception, whether or not you’re using birth control or trying to avoid it, says Anate A. Brauer, MD, FACOG, a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist in New York City.
So what are your chances of getting pregnant without contraception? According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 85 out of 100 sexually active people of reproductive age will become pregnant within a year if they don’t use contraception. Moral of the story: If you don’t want to get pregnant, always use contraception. What other factors might make you less likely to get pregnant? Let’s hear what the experts say.
Using contraceptives
Hormonal contraception methods like the pill, patch, ring, implant, injection, and IUD significantly reduce the chance of pregnancy but cannot completely eliminate it.
Each of these methods works in a different way — for example, IUDs prevent sperm from reaching the egg, while birth control pills, IUDs, and patches prevent ovulation, Dr. Brauer explains — so even if you’re sticking to a birth control method, you still need to use it correctly and consistently.
And if you’re relying on birth control, be careful: Some birth control packs contain a four- to seven-day supply of inactive tablets that don’t contain hormones. In rare cases, this period can be long enough to allow a mature egg to be fertilized. “This is often called ‘missed ovulation,’ and it’s one of the reasons why oral hormonal contraception fails,” says Dr. Brauer. Forgetting to take a dose of hormonal contraception (or not taking it at the same time every day, if you’re taking it daily) also increases your chances of getting pregnant.
Is it difficult to get pregnant while using birth control?
If you take a birth control pill and follow all instructions perfectly, your chances of getting pregnant are usually less than 1%. “Typical use” (i.e. not using the method correctly and consistently every time you have sex) reduces its effectiveness. According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), with typical use, about 9 in 100 people who take the pill will become pregnant within the first year.
You are on your period
While it’s not impossible to get pregnant during your period, it’s pretty unlikely. It’s easy to see why if you look at what’s going on inside your body: the egg released by your ovaries doesn’t get fertilized, which results in the sloughing of the uterine lining (that’s the blood that gets released). This means that an unfertilized egg is expelled from your body during your period.
The least likely day to get pregnant during your period is the first day of your period, but the closer you get to ovulation, the higher your chances of getting pregnant. If your typical menstrual cycle is closer to the average 28-30 day cycle, then you’re less likely to get pregnant during your period. However, if your cycle is shorter, then you’re more likely to get pregnant during your period.
The only way you can get pregnant if you have sex on your period is if your cycle is very short and ovulation occurs shortly after your period. You can use an ovulation calculator to find out. “Sperm can survive in the uterus for up to five days, so if you have sex at the end of your period, the sperm can survive long enough to fertilize an egg that is ovulated a few days after your period ends,” explains Dr Brauer.
Is it difficult to get pregnant during your period?
It’s possible to get pregnant if you have sex on your period, but for most people, the chances are extremely low. The exact risk depends on the length of your cycle. It varies from cycle to cycle, but by tracking your cycle, you can estimate when you’re usually most fertile.
What is the pregnancy rate? Research shows
In a study conducted in Germany, a group of 346 pregnant women practiced natural family planning methods to conceive. Natural family planning includes keeping track of basal body temperature and monitoring cervical mucus. They used these tools to determine when they were most fertile.
These couples know what days to have sex if they want to conceive, so having sex at the wrong time doesn’t prevent them from conceiving.
- After one month of trying, 38% became pregnant.
- After three months of trying, 68% became pregnant.
- After six months of trying, 81% became pregnant.
- After 12 months of trying, 92% became pregnant.
- Of the 346 women, 310 became pregnant. The remaining 10.4% did not become pregnant.
The percentages would change if women who did not become pregnant were excluded from the study results. In this birth group of 310,
- 42% conceived in the first month
- 75% conceive in the third month
- 88% conceive after 6 months
- 98% will conceive within 12 months
Using the “Pull Out” Method
The pull-out method may be the oldest form of birth control in the world, but like any other method, it’s not perfect. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), 22% of people who use this method will become pregnant within a year. So, while this method has a high failure rate on average when used alone as a contraceptive method, it can help reduce your chances of getting pregnant, mainly by using it in conjunction with another method.
The withdrawal technique, also known as the pull-out technique, is a method in which the penis is withdrawn from the vagina before ejaculation. One problem is that pre-ejaculatory fluid, the fluid released from the penis before ejaculation, may contain active and viable sperm. Successful withdrawal also depends on a high level of bodily awareness and control over the partner’s penis, when inhibitions are much weaker.
Additionally, most people don’t know when pre-ejaculation fluids are secreted, explains Mark Trolis, MD, FACOG, a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist at the IVF Center in Winter Park, Fla. “Because it’s difficult to predict when ejaculation will occur, methods to abort ejaculation are often risky and are certainly not the most reliable methods available today,” he says.
Is it harder to get pregnant if I’m taking birth control pills?
Although some studies have shown that perfect use of withdrawal medication can be up to 96% effective, maintaining perfect use with this method is not easy: failure rates with regular use can be as high as 18%. Therefore, if you want to avoid pregnancy, choose another method of contraception (or combine it with another method, such as condoms).
Use a condom
If you use condoms to prevent pregnancy (or sexually transmitted diseases), it’s important to use them correctly, which means wrapping the condom around the penis (or inserting it into the vagina, in the case of internal condoms or female condoms) before any genital contact with the skin.
Additionally, condoms can be made more effective when used in conjunction with other birth control methods, such as an IUD or the pill, or in combination with an abortion method. However, it is important to note that using two condoms at the same time does not reduce the chance of pregnancy.
Are condoms less likely to make you pregnant?
According to the HHS Office of Women’s Health, with typical use (taking into account human error), the chance of pregnancy with a male condom is about 18 percent and with a female condom it’s 21 percent. If you use a condom correctly every time, that chance drops to 2 percent.
Breastfeeding
Some nursing parents use lactational amenorrhea (LAM) or the “breastfeeding method” to prevent pregnancy after giving birth. It’s an effective method, but many people misunderstand how it works. LAM is a method of contraception based on the pause in ovulation that occurs with breastfeeding for a few months after giving birth.
“When you’re breastfeeding, your body suppresses the production of estrogen, the hormone that regulates your menstrual cycle,” says Shelley Ross, MD, FACOG, OB-GYN, a Santa Monica women’s health expert and author of She-ology: The Definitive Guide to Women’s Intimate Health, period . “In addition, prolactin, the hormone that stimulates milk production, inhibits the hormones that stimulate the ovaries to grow and release an egg, thus preventing ovulation.”
However, using LAM for birth control is not as easy as breastfeeding. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are certain criteria to meet the definition of LAM:
- Amenorrhea (absence of menstruation)
- Exclusive breastfeeding
- Your baby should not be fed more than 4-6 hours between feedings.
- Less than 6 months after giving birth
Is it difficult to get pregnant while breastfeeding?
Breastfeeding can disrupt a person’s hormones and effectively suppress ovulation. However, the cessation of menstruation after childbirth is temporary, and menstruation may continue even while breastfeeding. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), less than 1 in 100 women using LAM will become pregnant within 6 months of birth if used regularly and correctly. However, with regular use, that number increases to 2 in 100.
You are over 44 years old
Your chances of getting pregnant decrease over time. According to ACOG, a woman is born with about 1 to 2 million eggs. During puberty, that number drops to about 300,000 to 500,000, and by her late 30s, there are only about 25,000 eggs left. By menopause, you’re left with about 1,000 eggs.
This means that your chances of getting pregnant in your mid-40s, while not impossible, are lower: Once you reach age 40, you have about a 5% chance of getting pregnant each month.
Is it harder to get pregnant after 44?
According to Dr. Ross, people over 44 have less than a 5% chance of getting pregnant each month. But age in itself is not an effective “method” of birth control. You should continue to use other methods of birth control until you officially enter menopause (usually defined as 12 months after your last period, but menopause varies from person to person).
Your partner has had a vasectomy
Although a vasectomy is considered a permanent form of birth control, it is not 100% safe. If a vasectomy fails, pregnancy is still possible. In fact, about 1 in 2,000 people become pregnant after their partner has had a vasectomy.
Is it hard to get pregnant after a vasectomy?
Overall, a vasectomy is an extremely effective form of birth control. However, there is an increased chance of pregnancy after a vasectomy during the first few months after the surgery. In fact, couples should use another form of birth control until a doctor tests the semen to make sure it does not contain sperm. Some doctors recommend taking this test after 8 weeks or 20 ejaculations.
Last line
If you fall into any of these categories, the chances of unintended pregnancy are greatly reduced, but still possible if you’re of reproductive age. If you want to avoid pregnancy, your best bet is to use an effective method of birth control correctly and consistently. We also recommend having a back-up method, such as emergency contraception, as no method of birth control, except for abstinence, hysterectomy, or tubal ligation, is 100% effective.
