How is it possible to get pregnant any time of the month?

[RunningOnHope]

I'm 30 years old but TTC has left me wondering if my biology needs a bit of updating

As far as I understand it, sperm can only survive for about 5 days, so you need to DTD within 5 days of ovulating (or day after) for there to be any chance of the egg being fertilised.

But when trying to prevent pregnancy as a teenager, it was always drilled in that, although unlikely, you could get pregnant by having sex on any day of your cycle. And after a bit of a Google, it seems there is evidence of conception happening after a one time sex on any given day of a cycle. So how is that?!

Random early ovulation which would have been an unusually short cycle if conception hadn't occurred

Most women ovulate 12-14 days before their next period. No guarantee though, so unless you're tracking your ovulation you should be careful throughout your cycle to avoid pregnancy.

I got pregnant on day 6. I always have 28+ day cycle. Mystery - but it happened.

@beccahamlet

I got pregnant on day 6. I always have 28+ day cycle. Mystery - but it happened.

This is the kind of story I love to hear, fuelling my futile 2WW hopes when it should be impossible this month!

I only have 1-3 periods a year yet I’ve managed to get pregnant 4 times.

Cycles can be random especially in a teen who doesn't yet have a regular cycle.

I've told this story on here before, but I got pregnant with an IUD in AND having sex the day before my period. The pregnancy didn't go to term, but it was the shock of my life.

Because that’s general advice for a whole population, given that it’s difficult to know exactly when a person will ovulate.

Another one here who got pregnant in the first week of my 29 day cycle (the only time I had sex that month). Biology is odd.

The short answer is no you can't. When people do it's due to an early / late ovulation.

@BuffySummersReportingforSanity

Cycles can be random especially in a teen who doesn't yet have a regular cycle.

I've told this story on here before, but I got pregnant with an IUD in AND having sex the day before my period. The pregnancy didn't go to term, but it was the shock of my life.

Ps. I had a perfectly normal and regular 28 day cycle and had previously got pregnant multiple times ovulating around day 14 like everyone else. Fuck knows what happened. I wouldn't believe it myself if I hadn't been there.

Quite simply, it's because teenagers have absolutely no clue when they ovulate.

So they could in their mind, get pregnant at any point, because when is it? Who knows!

A room full of teenage girls and every one of them will ovulate at a different point.

So they are told they can get pregnant at any point.

Are we supposed to narrow it down and actually tell them it's unlikely at certain days of the month the?

Can you imagine the rise in teen pregnancy if we did?!

I've had two pregnancies and both conceived on day 6. I'm an early ovulated! i also had twins the second time so could have conceived at different times.

As pp said its to do with early ovulation. I got pregnant just after my period . My cycles were 21/28 days long. I had no idea I was ovulating and we just took a chance and said let's see what happens this month