Patient's question:
I had my period on the 23rd of last month. On January 1st, I had sex with my husband without using contraception.Could you please tell me when I can use a pregnancy test to find out if I am pregnant?
Doctor's answer:
Clinically, there is no absolute safe period. Normal fertile women have one menstrual period each month. The time from the onset of one menstrual period to the first day of the next is called one menstrual cycle. From the perspective of contraception, a woman's menstrual cycle can be divided into the menstrual period, ovulation period, and safe period. Generally, women of normal reproductive age release only one egg per month. After the egg is released, it can survive for 1 to 2 days. Sperm can survive in the female reproductive tract for 2 to 3 days, and their fertilizing ability is usually within the first 24 hours after ovulation. Sperm loses the ability to fertilize an egg after 2 to 3 days. Therefore, sexual intercourse 2 to 3 days before and 1 to 2 days after ovulation can result in pregnancy, and this period is called the fertile period or risky period. A woman's ovulation date is usually about 14 days before the next menstrual period. For safety, we consider the 5 days before and the 4 days after the ovulation day, including the ovulation day itself, as 10 days of the ovulation period. The remaining time, except for the menstrual period, is called the safe period.