If you don't want to get pregnant, when is the safe time to have sex?

For you and your partner who don't want to get pregnant, that doesn't mean you shouldn't have sex at all. There are times when your chances of getting pregnant are slim. When is the safe and best time to have sex if you are not getting pregnant? Here comes the review.

Understand the menstrual cycle and the occurrence of pregnancy

Before determining the safest time to have sex, first understand how the menstrual cycle works. The reason is, fertility and pregnancy are largely determined by this cycle. Every woman has a different menstrual cycle, from 21 to 31 days. In one cycle of menstruation, the body undergoes a series of changes.

The first day of the cycle starts from the first day of menstruation. Meanwhile, the last day of the cycle is exactly the day before the next menstruation. On the first day of the menstrual cycle, the body is shedding the uterine wall (which is indicated by menstrual bleeding).

After the bleeding has stopped, you are entering the first period of ovulation. The initial period of ovulation is also known as the fertile period because at this time the body is preparing to release an egg. If you have sex at this time, the chances of pregnancy are high.

The reason is, sperm cells will survive up to five days. If there are still sperm cells in a woman's body when the egg is released (the release of an egg is called ovulation), these two cells will meet and fertilization occurs. Successful fertilization of cells will grow into a fetus. The initial period of ovulation and ovulation period occurs from 7-19 days before the next menstruation. However, this count can continue to fluctuate, even though your menstrual cycle is the same every month.

The safest time to have sex if you don't want to get pregnant

If you don't want to get pregnant, avoid having sex without contraception during your fertile period. When a woman is infertile or has a small chance of getting pregnant is on the first day of menstruation until the seventh day. At this time, the egg in your body is not being produced so that the sperm cell cannot fertilize.

After your menstrual bleeding is over, you may also have a very narrow time gap, which is 1-2 days for sex with little risk of getting pregnant. If you make love without contraception the day after your period is over, sperm may still be alive in your body up to five days later. After that the sperm cells will die. Meanwhile, the egg may not be released for days after the sperm cell dies. So, pregnancy is difficult to happen.

Having sex during infertile times can still make you pregnant

In order to prevent pregnancy, some people take advantage of this infertile period to have sex. This method is also known as the calendar method. However, there is really no medical guarantee and certainty that pregnancy will not be possible if you have sex when you are infertile. The chances of getting pregnant are smaller than sex during fertile days, but there is still a chance of getting pregnant whenever you have sex without contraception.

The reason is, it is very difficult to determine with certainty when a person's fertile and infertile period is. Your menstrual cycle may be fluctuating. So, if ovulation occurs sooner than you think, you can get pregnant even though you have sex while you are still menstruating.

Factors such as hormone levels, lifestyle, and a woman's health condition influence cyclical changes. So you cannot use the last date of menstruation as an absolute benchmark when the next menstruation or ovulation period will arrive. The cycle calculations recommended by the doctor or midwife are for illustrative purposes only.

The best way to prevent pregnancy

If you don't want to get pregnant, don't just look for the best time to have sex with a small risk of pregnancy. You also need to use more effective contraceptives, such as condoms or birth control pills. With the assisted contraceptive method, you and your partner can still have sex without having to worry too much about conceding.