Scarleteen

Hi, so I have two questions
Firstly, I have read most of the articles here and I didn't find the answer to this question anywhere, but sorry if it is somewhere and I missed it.
My question is: if a girl has a pregnancy risk, and gets her period two days later, can she still be sure she is not pregnant? I ask this because I read that once fertilized the egg takes five days to descend into the uterus, so if the girl's period only lasts three days (which is usually the case) is it possible that by the time the egg arrives into the uterus the period is already over, making pregnancy possible even though a period has occurred? I hope this isn't too unclear...
And secondly, I haven't been able to find whether sperm cells survive when transferred from one place to another (ex: from penis to bed, bed to hand hand to wherever..)
I realize fingering, masturbation etc.. do not pose a pregnancy risk but I'm just wondering.
Sorry for this long post, thank you so much for taking time to answer!

Hey there!

so if you get a period in the time when you expect a period and it looks generally like a period, you can trust that you aren't pregnant. menstruation only happens a certain length of time after the egg is released/able to be fertilized (generally around 14 days), so it wouldn't happen that it would get fertilized just a few days before your period. there is a much more detailed explanation here:

A Guide to Menstruation

and here:

Human Reproduction: A Seafarer's Guide

and as far as sperm cells, check out this article:

Who's Afraid of Sperm Cells?

Okay thanks! I asked because I read somewhere that you could ovulate even during your period if you had an irregular cycle so that's what worried me
Have a nice day!

you are welcome!

it is very unlikely for someone to ovulate during their period, and their cycles would be highly irregular for that to happen. but the information you probably came across is that sex while you are on your period can lead to pregnancy, because sperm can live in the body for several days and ovulation could occur in that timeframe

Okay yes I think that is probably what I saw!
One last question (I'm sorry, I know you get a lot but this is the last ) about pregnancy "spotting".. could there be spotting only two or three days after intercourse (this is just for future information, I want to be sure I have all the information I can) and does spotting also give menstrual cramps? Basically, if it comes say a week earlier than a period would but looks like a period and feels like one, can it still be spotting?
Thank you!!! I'm sorry to ask so many questions, it's just so great to find somewhere I can ask them

When people aren't expecting a period, and are only seeing light spotting right after, or a couple days after, intercourse, what that usually is is bleeding due to vaginal abrasions, which people get sometimes when they are having intercourse too roughly or hastily, without enough arousal, or without adequate lubrication.

That kind of bleeding is never going to be due to a pregnancy per implantation because the timeline of conception is longer than that: a fertilized egg won't be implanting that soon.

It also often won't be a period unless there has been a change in the cycle. That certainly happens sometimes, but when it does, it'll still tend to look and feel like periods as you know them, which, for most people most of the time (excepting people on methods like the Mirena IUd, for example, which tend to change periods to little more than light spotting for a day or so), involve more than just a very light spotting.

Okay thank you for the information!