Can You Get Pregnant When You're Not Fertile?

Throughout a woman's menstrual cycle her fertility will wax and wane. Ideally, a woman is most fertile just as the egg is released from the follicle. This period of fertility lasts 24 hours, after which the egg is no longer of a viable quality for fertilization. A woman may be considered fertile several days before her ovulation due to cervical mucus and the life span of sperm, so sexual intercourse may cause a pregnancy even at a time when a woman is not ovulating or fertile.

  1. Cervical Mucus

    • Cervical mucus is keyed to the fertility cycle. This sticky substance changes throughout the woman's menstrual cycle, changing from a natural barrier for sperm to a speedy, easy to pass pathway into the cervix. Cervical mucus also acts as a filter, since abnormal sperm will have difficulty moving through cervical mucus into the cervix.

      Cervical mucus acts as a reservoir for sperm. During much of the cycle, cervical mucus acts as a barrier and is considered non-fertile. As the cycle nears ovulation, the texture of cervical mucus changes to allow sperm easy passage through the cervix. This fertile cervical mucus may be present several days before a woman ovulates; sperm may survive in this fertile cervical mucus for up to five days, though typically the sperm will migrate through the mucus into the cervix quickly provided that the cervix is open. However, since it is possible for sperm to survive in the mucus, a woman may become pregnant from intercourse up to five days before her actual ovulation.

    Inside the Reproductive System

    • Sperm may wait in the fertile cervical fluid for up to five days, waiting for the cervix opening to allow passage into the uterus. Once this opening is large enough, sperm may pass through the cervix into the reproductive system, waiting for the egg in the uterus and fallopian tubes. They may remain there for up to 72 hours after passing through the cervix, waiting for the egg to arrive. This extends a woman's chances of conception, and means that she is fertile up to three days before ovulation occurs.

      Even with tools such as ovulation predictors and fertility monitors, predicting a woman's ovulation date is not an exact science. A doctor or fertility specialist can perform a transvaginal utlrasound to determine that ovulation has occurred; they may also perform bloodwork to chart the hormones. These methods can more accurately determine when ovulation occurred; however, they will be unable to see if there were sperm waiting for the egg or if the egg was fertilized. A woman can become pregnant when she is not in her fertile period, so caution should be exercised at all times unless she is looking to become pregnant.

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