What Are My Chances of Becoming Pregnant?

One of the biggest misconceptions about sex and pregnancy is that it is difficult to get pregnant. While it is undeniable that many women have trouble conceiving when they want to, the fact is that unplanned and unexpected pregnancies are a regular occurrence. If you’re sexually active you owe it to yourself and your partner to know about the chances of becoming pregnant and what you should do next.

So, What are Your Chances of Pregnancy?

When it comes to the chances of becoming pregnant, consider several different factors.

The first is ovulation. Ovulation is when your ovaries release an egg in preparation for fertilization. Most women ovulate on a 28-day cycle, with ovulation occurring around 11 to 20 days after the first day of your menstruation. Ovulation itself is a 24-hour process, but your body will begin preparing to ovulate several days before an egg is released.

The second factor to consider is your partner’s sperm. Many women are surprised to learn that sperm can actually live inside your body for several days before fertilizing an egg. The exact length of time varies from person to person, but in general, sperm can live around 3 to 5 days after sex.

What does that mean for your chances of getting pregnant? In short, if you have unprotected sex at any time around or during your ovulation, you stand a very real chance of getting pregnant. The CDC estimates that women under 30 who have regular unprotected sexual intercourse are more than 75% likely to become pregnant within a year.

Reducing the Chances of Pregnancy

So, how do you reduce the chance of unplanned pregnancy? There are several things you can do to reduce or eliminate the risk of becoming pregnant. However, some techniques are much more reliable than others.

Don’t Engage in Sexual Intercourse During Ovulation

One solution to reduce the chances of pregnancy is to avoid sexual contact during ovulation. However, this can be extremely difficult since ovulation doesn’t have as many obvious physical signs as menstruation. You could still easily become pregnant if you use this method.

Use Birth Control

Birth control methods like condoms and the IUD are effective at preventing pregnancy, but they aren’t 100% effective. When used perfectly, they still pose about a 1% or 2% chance of becoming pregnant – and most people don’t use them perfectly.

The “Not Right Now” Method

The most effective way of avoiding pregnancy is to simply not have sex when you aren’t ready to become pregnant. Abstinence is the only 100% effective way of avoiding pregnancy.

Get Help and Resources Today

If you want to learn more about your chances of becoming pregnant, or if you think you could be pregnant and want to take a free pregnancy test at our clinic, call Hope Clinic today. All of our services are 100% free, confidential, and private. Call us at 601-264-2181 or text 669-500-TEST(8378) to schedule your free pregnancy test and learn about our other services.