Getting pregnant at any time of the month has been a widespread myth, which is often claimed by overprotective parents. They mean well, but this leads to inaccurate information that women have to live with for the rest of their lives. Naturally, parents are not always at fault in this inaccurate information since the majority of them are also misinformed.

The truth is being fertile, or the phase where a woman can get pregnant, only occurs in limited days. Five days prior and a day after ovulation are the fertile days. Read on to learn whether or not you can get pregnant without ovulation and find out the answer to questions you may have about ovulation, period and fertility.

Can You Get Pregnant When You're Not Ovulating?

Women cannot conceive without ovulating. Ovulation refers to the process of releasing eggs or ovum from the ovary, which will then be ready for fertilization if a woman had sexual intercourse.

The core concept of trying to get pregnant is scheduling intercourse during ovulation period. It only takes a sperm to fertilize the ovum and couples can start welcoming themselves to parenthood. Considering this premise, it is safe to say that pregnancy is impossible without ovulating.

Most women ovulate once a month and when you ovulate depends much the regularity of your menstrual cycle, which needs careful calculation and observation, especially if you have an irregular period.

When Do You Ovulate and What Are Your Most Fertile Days?

Precise ovulation timing is challenging. In general, women usually ovulate around 10 to 16 days before the next period cycle start. Counting can confuse numerous women. To set the record straight, the first day of a menstrual cycle is the first day of menstrual bleeding. Once bleeding stopped, ovulation will occur some time within the cycle. Wait for another 10 to 16 days and a woman will menstruate again. 

Sexual health specialist Toni Belfield commented about the inaccuracy of claims about the 14th day of the menstrual cycle as the ovulation or fertile period. Statements before already support the differences of women’s menstrual cycle, which means that this count is not applicable for everyone.

For example, a woman having 35 days in a cycle will not ovulate on14th cycle day. The estimated fertile period is around day 19 to 25. Women with shorter cycles like 23 days can ovulate within day 7 to 13. 

To learn more, you should check out the signs of ovulation and your most fertile days. 

Or you can use the ovulation calculator to find out your most fertile days in just a second. 

FAQs About Ovulation

Besides can you get pregnant when you're not ovulating, there are many other question you may want to learn the answer.

Can I Ovulate During My Period?

Ovulation while menstruating is unlikely to occur for women with regular menstrual cycles. Women with severely irregular reproductive cycles may only menstruate once every 3 months while others have their periods more than once a month. Considering these irregular cycles, it is probable that these women may ovulate despite having a period. Nonetheless, the noted instances of ovulation at this time of the cycle are rare.

However, sperm lifespan, which usually last for three to five days, can fertilize an ovum released during menstruation given that they had sex even if the woman is menstruating.

Can I Ovulate Right After My Period?

Knowing the number of days in a cycle will help answer this question. These are the days between the first day of a period up to the next period’s first day. You can ovulate after menstruating by having 21 days in a cycle and menstruated for seven days. This will offset the ovulation period, making it earlier than the usual.

Can a Woman Ovulate More Than Once During Each Cycle?

Ovulation only occurs once per cycle, which is why women cannot conceive twice or more in a single cycle. In the case of multiple ovulations, two or more ova are released within a cycle. Two eggs released within a day is the reason why mothers can have fraternal twins, or non-identical twins. Several claims indicate that around 5 to 10 percent of cycles may cause the release of two ova, but do not end up in getting pregnant with twins. This is caused by the “vanishing twin phenomena,” a miscarriage type.

Can I Ovulate Without Having a Period?

This is highly possible considering the days when ovulation occurs, which is usually around 12 to 16 days before the next expected menstrual cycle. Several women suffering from certain health conditions like breastfeeding and having lighter weight have higher chances of ovulating any time.

The problem with not menstruating is it makes getting pregnant not easy for some women. Timing is key in pulling the goalie, but it is difficult to women to keep track, especially if they are not recording temperature and vaginal fluid changes. On the other hand, women who do not want to get pregnant should take contraceptives because it is also possible to have unexpected pregnancy considering the lack of period.

Can I Have a Period and Still Not Have Ovulated?

Having a period does not mean that you have ovulated or will ovulate. In a condition called anovulatory cycle (having no ovulation), you will experience some bleeding which is often mistaken for period. This may be caused by decrease in estrogen level and buildup in uterine lining.