Has anyone ever fallen pregnant outside the fertile week?

[Seahorsesandunicorns]

Just wondering if it's possible? I am not actively ttc at the moment but want to start in the new year. I'm being careful but am unsure if I need to use something too??

Yes, I did. if you don’t want to get pregnant then you need to use contraception.

Although if you’re starting to ttc in 4 weeks does it really matter?

yes, fell pregnant on the last day of my period (presume I ovulated early & the little swimmer hung around for a few days)

Thanks pottering, if it happened I would be overjoyed but what I meant is that I'm not actively ttc until the new year!

Have you ever wondered why Catholics tend to have large families? It is because women can get pregnant outside their 'fertile window' and is why the Rhythm mehod is unreliable. If you don't want to get pregnant, then use contraception.

Thanks poisoned!
im planning for Feb/March pottery so 8 /12 weeks makes all the difference when you get hyperemis and need to plan work and time off! What I'm saying is ideally I would like to fall pregnant in Feb/Mar, if it happens before so be it!

Thanks Wild, reading through this forum would make you think differently though. I was taught that you get pregnant anytime in your cycle and since ttc, I realise it's not that easy! Maybe a silly question, but thought that this was the perfect place to ask it!

I've wondered this before too so thanks for asking OP! We concentrate so much on the ovulation days when actively TTC that you tend to forget the others. Nice to know that it can happen before/after too.

I wonder what the chances are?

I know that to avoid pregnancy to use contraception btw - I'm not looking to avoid. Not actively TTC (doing it on specific days, temping, using OPKs etc). Just letting nature take its course and if it happens, it happens.

This is sort of a yes and no thing - no you can't get pregnant unless you have sex during the five or so days before you ovulate, ie. your fertile week, but the timing of your fertile week can change unpredictably at any point, so you can absolutely get pregnant when you wouldn't expect it to be your fertile week. Which is what happens when the rhythm method fails, it's not that those women had sex 'outside their fertile window', it's that their calculated fertile window didn't line up with their actual one.

I have 3 children and fell pregnant the week after my period each time x

You can’t get pregnant if you’re not ovulating. So you can get pregnant outside of your “assumed” fertile week but that will only be because you’ve ovulated earlier than you expected. For example, you can get pregnant a couple of days after your period if you randomly ovulate very early but that is classed outside of your fertile week, if that makes sense. So basically, yes, you can because you never know when your ovaries might just decide to release an egg. It’s not very common but it can and does happen

Thanks Rabbit! I was starting to feel really silly for asking this but I feel that nothing with ttc is simple so allow me slack!

Lisa - that makes perfect sense, thank you! And congrats on your recent bfp and scan. Wishing you lots of luck for the remainder of the pregnancy!

Bubblegum - thanks, I totally am starting to get it now!

I conceived girls a year apart from only having sex on day 23 of a 28 day cycle!!

I've found for me the best way if I'm actively trying is to just have sex every 2-3 days regardless of where I am in my cycle (except during my period). My cycles vary from 27-33 days so ovulation days can really vary too (I have PCOS but do ovulate) so at least by doing it regularly I can be sure we're not missing when it does happen!

You can't get pregnant any time in your cycle, you can get pregnant when you ovulate and having sex in the 5 days before ovulation can result in pregnancy. What can happen, is that ovulation can happen early or late in the cycle and whilst you can predict ovulation, you can't be certain of when it will happen. So yes, you could theoretically get pregnant at any point in your cycle, but only at the point of ovulation.

Basically, use contraception if you don't want to get pregnant!

You can get pregnant outside of the 'average' fertile week but obviously you can't get pregnant without having sex on or around ovulation day, whenever that may be for you.

Thanks ladies, I'm clearer but my body isn't lol!

Hi @seahorses, it depends on your fertile period and the apps etc only go on the data you give them, so if you ovulate earlier/ later in a month the official fw won't be right. Some months i ovulate two weeks later than usual but can't predict which cycles beforehand.

In terms of timing your pregnancy, i wouldnt set such a strict expectation of when would be ideal to get your bfp. It took me 3 cycles first time and now I'm 19 months into ttc for #2, and it can take 12 months for healthy couples to conceive. Just helping to manage expectations, apologies if this doesn't apply for any reason.

Good luck!

Thanks very much Syd. Our bodies seriously do have a mind of their own don't they!!!your ovulation must be really hard to to track. You certainly sound like you're getting to know or indeed know your body so hope you get your BFP very soon.

I'm certainly not pinning my hopes on falling pregnant in Feb/
March as realise that just falling pregnant and carrying to term is a lottery in itself (sadly I lost a baby in Oct) so recognise plans go out the window with ttc - hence my relaxation around ttc. If I fall in these months great, if not and it's later that's better for me on a work front anyway. Lots of luck xx