1 00:00:01,800 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:11,720 Speaker 1: Hey brain Stuff. Lauren Vogelbaum here, considering that roughly half 3 00:00:11,720 --> 00:00:15,320 Speaker 1: the people on the planet experience periods during their lives, 4 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:18,560 Speaker 1: there are a lot of myths out there about periods, 5 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:23,439 Speaker 1: and there are a lot of myths about conception and pregnancy. Today, 6 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:26,120 Speaker 1: let's best a myth that has to do with all three. 7 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:29,640 Speaker 1: You may have heard it before. You can't get pregnant 8 00:00:29,720 --> 00:00:33,960 Speaker 1: during your period. This is not true. You can totally 9 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:38,159 Speaker 1: get pregnant during your period. It's not super likely statistically speaking, 10 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:41,440 Speaker 1: but just as a baby's arrival isn't as simple as 11 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:45,120 Speaker 1: a stork dropping off a special bundle, getting pregnant involves 12 00:00:45,159 --> 00:00:50,240 Speaker 1: plenty of biological intricacies and uncertainties. A menstrual cycles vary, 13 00:00:50,479 --> 00:00:53,600 Speaker 1: and a person can technically get pregnant at any point 14 00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:59,279 Speaker 1: during their cycle. The typical menstrual cycle lasts twenty eight days, 15 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:03,520 Speaker 1: split into the folicular and luteal phases. In a nutshell, 16 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:06,520 Speaker 1: the folicular phase consists of an egg developing in the 17 00:01:06,520 --> 00:01:10,120 Speaker 1: ovaries and the uterus starting to grow a nurturing lining. 18 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:15,440 Speaker 1: Then the egg releases. That's ovulation, and the luteal phase begins. 19 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:18,520 Speaker 1: It's the preparatory time in which a person's body gets 20 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:20,600 Speaker 1: ready for that egg to meet up with a sperm 21 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:25,080 Speaker 1: in the fallopian tubes. Hormone secretions prompt the uterine lining 22 00:01:25,120 --> 00:01:30,560 Speaker 1: to continue thickening for embryo implantation should fertilization occur. If 23 00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:34,319 Speaker 1: fertilization does not occur, menstruation commences as the lining of 24 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:38,080 Speaker 1: the uterus sheds and the unfertilized egg exits the uterus. 25 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:42,800 Speaker 1: If you have a textbook twenty eight day cycle with 26 00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:46,639 Speaker 1: a textbook five day period, you are probably most likely 27 00:01:46,720 --> 00:01:49,960 Speaker 1: to get pregnant. If you have sex fourteen days after 28 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:53,720 Speaker 1: your last period. That's when sperm are most likely to 29 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:57,480 Speaker 1: encounter a mature egg in the fallopian tubes. But not 30 00:01:57,640 --> 00:02:01,160 Speaker 1: all cycles last twenty eight days. Not all periods last 31 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:04,680 Speaker 1: five days. The normal range for a menstrual cycle is 32 00:02:04,720 --> 00:02:08,000 Speaker 1: anything from twenty one to thirty five days, and the 33 00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:11,600 Speaker 1: average period can last from four to seven days. It's 34 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:15,560 Speaker 1: normal to reach peak fertility anywhere from eleven to twenty 35 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:20,120 Speaker 1: one days after your last period, and that's not even 36 00:02:20,160 --> 00:02:25,119 Speaker 1: taking more outlying situations into consideration, irregular periods that only 37 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:27,680 Speaker 1: come around every few months, as well as cycles that 38 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:30,600 Speaker 1: are shorter than the average twenty eight days, may hold 39 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:35,880 Speaker 1: higher probabilities for overlap between ovulation and menstruation, although the 40 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:39,160 Speaker 1: statistical chances of it happening are low. There are three 41 00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:42,400 Speaker 1: main ways that it's possible to get pregnant from unprotected 42 00:02:42,400 --> 00:02:47,120 Speaker 1: sex despite the presence of vaginal bleeding. First step, if 43 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:50,640 Speaker 1: a woman has an especially short menstrual cycle, ovulation can 44 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:55,160 Speaker 1: occur before menstruation stops. This is the least likely scenario 45 00:02:55,280 --> 00:02:58,440 Speaker 1: for a period pregnancy to take place, but a longer 46 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:01,360 Speaker 1: period lasting up to seven to eight days, combined with 47 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 1: a compressed menstrual cycle can add up to an embryo. 48 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:09,560 Speaker 1: More commonly, with shorter menstrual cycles, the ovaries could release 49 00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:13,200 Speaker 1: an egg a few days after menstruation finishes. But even 50 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:16,399 Speaker 1: though an egg wasn't ready and waiting during the period itself, 51 00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:20,239 Speaker 1: unprotected intercourse on say the last day of bleeding, could 52 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:24,000 Speaker 1: leave behind sperm with a surprisingly potent shelf life. A 53 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:26,720 Speaker 1: sperm can survive inside a woman's body for three to 54 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:30,520 Speaker 1: five days, possibly resulting in pregnancy if the ovaries release 55 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:33,079 Speaker 1: an egg into the flopian tubes in that time frame. 56 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:37,720 Speaker 1: Vaginal bleeding can also be misleading, as it doesn't always 57 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:42,600 Speaker 1: signal menstruation. In fact, some women's spot during ovulation, which 58 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:46,040 Speaker 1: could be mistaken for a light period. In that case, 59 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:51,880 Speaker 1: unprotected sex could certainly result in pregnancy. Stress, for example, 60 00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 1: can be the culprit behind a late period, as can travel, 61 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:58,800 Speaker 1: which can sometimes be synonymous with stress. Change in weight 62 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:01,680 Speaker 1: can affect a person's peer it, and so can illness. 63 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:08,120 Speaker 1: Certain conditions and some medications. For example, take endometriosis, which 64 00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:11,400 Speaker 1: is a case of misplaced cells. Ones that should be 65 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:14,720 Speaker 1: in a person's uterus grow in other places to or instead. 66 00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:19,280 Speaker 1: Like the bowel, fallopian tubes, and ovaries. They respond to 67 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:22,400 Speaker 1: menstrual hormones by swelling and getting thicker, just like the 68 00:04:22,440 --> 00:04:24,920 Speaker 1: ones that make up the uterine lining, but they don't 69 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:29,640 Speaker 1: get shed. They're just stuff. This condition can cause shorter cycles, 70 00:04:29,839 --> 00:04:33,960 Speaker 1: longer periods, or breakthrough bleeding and cramping, all making it 71 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:36,600 Speaker 1: more difficult to know what stage of your cycle you're on. 72 00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:42,680 Speaker 1: Or take polycystic overy syndrome or PCOS. This is caused 73 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:45,560 Speaker 1: by your hormones being out of whack, and since the 74 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:48,280 Speaker 1: menstrual cycle is ruled by hormones, it can cause your 75 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:53,240 Speaker 1: periods to come irregularly, or uterine fibroids, which are non 76 00:04:53,279 --> 00:04:56,359 Speaker 1: cancerous tumors in the uterus. They can change the shape 77 00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:59,800 Speaker 1: of the uterus and cause extra heavy periods or p 78 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:03,440 Speaker 1: the inflammatory disease, which is an infection often caused by 79 00:05:03,480 --> 00:05:06,760 Speaker 1: bacteria from s t i s like chlamydia. While some 80 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:09,400 Speaker 1: people have no symptoms at all, it can result in 81 00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:13,080 Speaker 1: irregular periods or damage to the fallopian tubes, which messes 82 00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:18,080 Speaker 1: with eggs and sperms travel through the reproductive system. All 83 00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:21,120 Speaker 1: of that is to say that our bodies are all different, 84 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:25,000 Speaker 1: and sometimes they're up to some pretty weird stuff. It's 85 00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:28,520 Speaker 1: plausible for an expectant egg and an enterprising sperm to 86 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:33,800 Speaker 1: meet at any point during the month. Also, while we're 87 00:05:33,839 --> 00:05:36,400 Speaker 1: here dispelling the myth that you can't get pregnant on 88 00:05:36,440 --> 00:05:40,560 Speaker 1: your period, let's talk briefly about another myth. Some people 89 00:05:40,640 --> 00:05:45,479 Speaker 1: mistakenly think that urinating after unprotected intercourse will flush any 90 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:50,320 Speaker 1: lingering sperm from the vagina. That's anatomically impossible, though, the 91 00:05:50,400 --> 00:05:54,040 Speaker 1: since sperm enter through the vaginal opening, whereas urine exits 92 00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:57,480 Speaker 1: through the ureical opening, which is between the vaginal opening 93 00:05:57,600 --> 00:06:04,719 Speaker 1: and the clitteress m Today's episode is based on the 94 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:07,360 Speaker 1: articles Can a Woman Get Pregnant during her Period? By 95 00:06:07,440 --> 00:06:11,839 Speaker 1: Kristen Conger and Abnormal Menstrual Cycles and Fertility by Katie Lambert, 96 00:06:12,040 --> 00:06:14,600 Speaker 1: both on how stuff Works dot Com. Brain Stuff is 97 00:06:14,600 --> 00:06:17,040 Speaker 1: production by Heart Radio in partnership with how stuff Works 98 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:19,800 Speaker 1: dot Com and is produced by Tyler clang Fully. More 99 00:06:19,800 --> 00:06:22,400 Speaker 1: podcasts my heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, 100 00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:25,360 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.