Am I infertile a week after period?
Question
Dear Sheila,Thank you for answering my questions. I took a pregnancy test last night and I am not pregnant. But I am going to be more careful from now and always protect myself. Is it true that you can have unprotected sex and not get pregnant 7 days after your period but must be careful what day because sperms live for 4 days?
Answer
Last Updated: July 24, 2013
No. One cannot tell if one is fertile simply by knowing what day it is in relation to the period. You cannot assume infertility, even on the days of the period. One CAN learn to identify actual days of fertility and infertility, but this is done by adopting a very specific routine of observing for the biomarkers of fertility produced by the body, and learning how to interpret the changes. There is a directory of professionals on the website www.canfp.org who are trained to teach people such systems.
You are correct about sperm survival. When the woman is fertile, sperm can live for up to 3-5 days, creating a “window” of fertility to make pregnancy more likely than if intercourse had to occur precisely on the day of ovulation.
A home pregnancy test will not be accurate until implantation, which would not occur until a week or two after ovulation. Thus, a negative test is not definitive. If the woman has not had her period, it could be negative only because it is too soon to test positive.
The only 100% method of protecting yourself from pregnancy and such anxiety producing days as you are experiencing right now is to abstain from all sex until you are married and ready for the children that may result. Think about how freeing that would be—-not to have worry or stress out over this each month. And I would ask you, how cherished you feel right now as you are going through this. Your man can provide you ‘protection’ by caring enough to NOT have sex!
Think about it anyway…
I truly wish you all the best, and appreciate you have come with these questions!!
You are correct about sperm survival. When the woman is fertile, sperm can live for up to 3-5 days, creating a “window” of fertility to make pregnancy more likely than if intercourse had to occur precisely on the day of ovulation.
A home pregnancy test will not be accurate until implantation, which would not occur until a week or two after ovulation. Thus, a negative test is not definitive. If the woman has not had her period, it could be negative only because it is too soon to test positive.
The only 100% method of protecting yourself from pregnancy and such anxiety producing days as you are experiencing right now is to abstain from all sex until you are married and ready for the children that may result. Think about how freeing that would be—-not to have worry or stress out over this each month. And I would ask you, how cherished you feel right now as you are going through this. Your man can provide you ‘protection’ by caring enough to NOT have sex!
Think about it anyway…
I truly wish you all the best, and appreciate you have come with these questions!!
Answered By:
CANFP
CANFP unites under one umbrella all those who use, teach, and advocate for NFP, and our members are our strongest resource: the physicians who provide authentic women’s healthcare, the Practitioners and Certified Teachers of all the natural methods instructing couples in its use, the couples who use NFP and reflect its values in their families and communities, the clergy providing the spiritual formation and context, and the churches, dioceses, hospitals, and profile organizations who collaborate in providing access to these services throughout the state.
