Can you get pregnant if you have sex during your period?

Unfortunately, many women of all ages believe that if a girl has sex during her period, she will not fall pregnant, that she isn't fertile and it just could not happen!

But even though this belief and rumour is well spread and very common, it is absolutely POSSIBLE for a girl to become pregnant when she is menstruating (bleeding).

There a number of reasons why this can happen:

Not all vaginal bleeding is the result of a menstrual period. Sometimes a girl will bleed from her Vagina at the actual time of ovulation - the time when the egg is released from one of the body's ovaries and then travels down the fallopian tube to the Uterus. And it is very common now for girls/women who are ovulating to experience some vaginal bleeding that can be unfortunately mistaken for a period.Sometimes ovulation can actually occur before the bleeding from a girl's/woman's period has stopped. Or it may occur within a few days after her period has finished. In both of these cases, having sex before the period has finished or just after it has finished, can result in pregnancy.

Having unprotected sex at any time including when you've got your period is incredibly risky. Along with the risk of becoming pregnant, there is also the risk of getting a sexually transmitted disease, such as Chlamydia, genital warts, or HIV (AIDS). The only surefire and safest way to prevent pregnancy and/or STD's is abstinence!

Now we would be rather unrealistic to expect this to be the case, so if you are going to take part in sexual relations with your partner, use a CONDOM! Or in the best case scenario - first of all, make sure you both get checked out by the Doctor so you have a clear bill of health. And then if all is clear, make sure you use some form of contraceptive or protection to stop you from receiving an unexpected surprise (or nightmare!).

- Michelle Palmer