Preggers?

January 12, 2006 12:53 PM

My girlfriend has been on birth control for a couple years. The day before her period we had sex without a condom. The next day she had her period but it was very short and lasted only that day. Could we be pregnant?
posted by anonymous to health & fitness (20 comments total)

Yes.
posted by ikkyu2 at 1:02 PM on January 12, 2006

Technically you can get pregnant during your period. However, if she's on birth control as well (assuming you mean the pill, shot, ring, or something), it's pretty unlikely.

Only one way to find out, though. Might as well hit up a drug store, a home pregnancy test is a small price to pay for peace of mind. (shoot, around here they even sell them at the Dollar Tree!)
posted by Kellydamnit at 1:02 PM on January 12, 2006

I wouldn't worry. Birth Control often makes a period less intense. A few girls I've been with simply had varied periods. Sometimes light, sometimes heavier. If you can't sleep at night, go get a test kit in a few days. When it shows up negative, laugh it off and go have some more fun.
posted by Phynix at 1:03 PM on January 12, 2006

Yes. You can get sex on, before and after the period.
posted by geoff. at 1:04 PM on January 12, 2006

Yeah, it's possible. Every form of artificial birth control (that I know of) has at least some tiny possibility of failure. Without knowing what specific kind of birth control your girlfriend was using, though, nobody here'll be able to tell you what that rate of failure is or tends to be. In any event, just have her go to her doctor and get a pregnancy test. If she's afraid (like, if she's underage, doesn't want parents finding out, etc.), or can't afford it, you can take her to Planned Parenthood, or just pick up a couple of over-the-counter pregnancy tests.
posted by Gator at 1:05 PM on January 12, 2006

Oops "get pregnant" not "get sex", Freudian slip. But if she does get pregnant (say all the planets are aligned) do find a way to tell us! It's feasible, but highly unlikely. You might be the most fertile people on the planet if it happens.
posted by geoff. at 1:05 PM on January 12, 2006

As others have noted: yes, it's possible. Get a pregnancy test and find out for sure.

As Phynix says, though, sometimes oral contraceptives can make a woman's period much lighter. I tend to skip periods (or have very light ones) on the pill I take, for example; at first I was weirded out by it, but now I'm used to it. Has she ever had light/erratic periods on the pill before?
posted by scody at 1:07 PM on January 12, 2006

In this instance, you can't ever really say, "no, you're not," since you can't prove a negative without actually taking a test. So go get one.
posted by frogan at 1:20 PM on January 12, 2006

Home pregnancy tests generally aren't very good (false negative) fewer than 5 weeks after the fertilization event, unless there've been some massive technology improvements in the last couple years. So bear that in mind, too.
posted by ikkyu2 at 1:23 PM on January 12, 2006

"Fertilization event" is a great term.

But yes, you're not advised to take a pregnancy test until after your first missed period. Even the early-results versions just push that up by a day or two.
posted by occhiblu at 1:25 PM on January 12, 2006

She's on the pill? You had sex a day before her period?

Sure, anything is possible, but it is VERY unlikely that she is pregnant. I would not worry about it personally, but a pregnancy test is not expensive and may be worth it just to calm your mind.
posted by eas98 at 1:58 PM on January 12, 2006

Just to add to the probable nos, women don't even ovulate that close to their period.
posted by artifarce at 2:32 PM on January 12, 2006

Just to add to the probable nos, women don't even ovulate that close to their period.
posted by artifarce

True - unless you're a woman who does ovulate that close to your period, or during your period, etc.
posted by LadyBonita at 2:36 PM on January 12, 2006

Yes, it's possible. But rather unlikely. If she misses her next period (or even the next two), then maybe get a home pregnancy test or see a doc. My pill prescription says to see a doctor if i ever miss two in a row. Pill periods are usally lighter than normal, but only your gf is going to know what "normal" is for her. But if you're worried, then spend the $20 on a home kit to ease your mind. Otherwise, I'd personally wait until there's more concrete proof.
posted by cgg at 3:13 PM on January 12, 2006

The fact that she had some bleeding, by the way, doesn't mean she had a period. She may have had implantation bleeding which can look like a period, but means the exact opposite. Confused the heck out of my wife and me . . .
posted by The Bellman at 3:43 PM on January 12, 2006

Of course it's possible that she's pregnant.

But if it makes you feel any better, I've had similar scares while on the pill (which I have been on for 6 years). Turns out my period can be completely normal for several months in a row, and then one month just decide that it's going to be super light. Most of the time, the insert that comes with BCPs says to see your doctor about possible pregnancy if you miss two periods in a row, but if you're worried, just take a home test.

Good luck - I hope whatever the outcome is, it's the outcome you both want.
posted by tastybrains at 4:37 PM on January 12, 2006

Ten years ago, an ex-partner and I had a near identical experience.

She too thought she'd had her period the next day, and we breathed a sigh of relief. But she was pregnant. Her doctor said it was almost certainly implantation bleeding, as mentioned above.

I dithered about posting this, due to the lack of anonymous comments, but I thought I needed to post it as our experience was almost identical.
posted by coach_mcguirk at 4:41 PM on January 12, 2006

You know that you don't have to use a condom when you have sex when she's on the pill, even on her off week, right? Cause, some people don't seem to know this. You're protected all the time if you're taking your pills properly, even during your period. If that is what is causing this concern, don't let it. But if this is a very unusual event for her (given 2 years on the pill I'm sure she knows what is unusual) then yeah, what everyone else said.
posted by ch1x0r at 5:07 PM on January 12, 2006

It is possible, but unlikely. For both of your peace of mind she should see her doctor ASAP, firstly to check if she is pregnant and secondly to check if there is anything else wrong that could cause this. However it's also entirely possible that there is a simple explanation - stress etc can cause weird things to happen with periods even whilst on the pill.
posted by Lotto at 6:47 PM on January 12, 2006

Anything's possible. But I have to join the others who say it's very unlikely that she's pregnant. It's probably a coincidence. Yes, you can have sex without a condom at any time if she's taking them right, and you're no more likely to get pregnant right before her period than any other time, as far as I know. BC pills, if used correctly, mean there's no egg to be fertilized--no egg at any time, not even when she'd normally be ovulating. In theory, yes, you COULD get preggers on your period. But not without an egg.

If I were her, I'd calmly take a First Response and move on.
posted by lampoil at 7:02 PM on January 12, 2006