How long does it take get pregnant after intercourse

Did you know that you can get pregnant on a day you didn’t have sex?  
The “ovulation window” is tricky to pin down.  Women’s monthly cycles are typically between 28-32 days, measuring from the first day of their period to the first day of their next period.  Most women ovulate anywhere from Day 11 to Day 21 of their cycle.  It’s important to note that under the right conditions, sperm can survive inside a woman’s reproductive tract for as long as five days after sexual intercourse.  So even if you had sex outside your “ovulation window”, there is still a chance you can be pregnant.  

What about the “Plan B” pill?
The morning-after pill is considered an “emergency contraceptive” and is often taken within the 3 days after unprotected sex or a contraceptive failure (like a condom tear) to prevent pregnancy.  The “Plan B” pill may prevent ovulation, prevent sperm from reaching the egg, or irritate the lining of your uterus making it difficult for an embryo to implant.  There are side effects with taking the pill and it’s important to know that the morning-after pill does not end ectopic pregnancy.  This is when an embryo implants outside the uterus and is a serious condition that requires immediate medical attention.  The morning-after pill also doesn’t guarantee that you won’t get pregnant, and it doesn’t protect you from HIV or other sexually-transmitted diseases. 

When should I take a pregnancy test?
A missed period is usually one of the first signs of a possible pregnancy.  Pregnancy tests measure the hCG hormone, which is only present in a woman’s body after fertilization.  Since conception, or the fertilization process, happens about two weeks before your period, and it takes about two weeks for your hCG levels to be high enough to be detected in urine, you can take a pregnancy test one day after a missed period, though the FDA recommends waiting for 1-2 weeks “for most reliable results”. It’s also important to note that a missed period is not always a sign of pregnancy.  Read more about that here.

If you think you might be pregnant, reach out to your local pregnancy resource center! We are here to listen and help you without judgement. We are here for you!

If you have any medical questions or concerns, please talk to your healthcare provider. The articles on Health Guide are underpinned by peer-reviewed research and information drawn from medical societies and governmental agencies. However, they are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

You probably know that having unprotected sex can lead to getting pregnant. But how long does it take to get pregnant after sex? In this article, we’ll unpack this question and discuss how to improve your chances of getting pregnant if you’re trying to conceive. 

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Implantation can take up to two weeks to occur after having sex without using a birth control method (Jarvis, 2016). This might sound like a long time to you, so let’s define a few terms and explore the steps from sexual intercourse to implantation (pregnancy) in a little more detail:

Your fertile window is the period of time during the month when you can actually conceive; this is roughly an 8-day window. It starts about a week before ovulation (when your ovaries release an egg, and it’s available to be fertilized for up to two days). 

Sperm cells can survive in the female reproductive tract for almost a week, which allows sperm from sex you have a week before ovulation to still be able to swim up to meet the egg once it’s released (Ecochard, 2015). 

This allows the sperm to get near the egg. “Unprotected” means having penis-in-vagina sex (or even penis-vagina contact) without using birth control or without reliably using birth control. That means, for example, if you take your pill most of the time but missed it for a few days or are a couple of weeks late in getting your birth control shot, you’re technically having unprotected sex and can get pregnant. 

Fertilization is when the sperm meets the egg and fertilizes it, turning it into an embryo. It can happen as soon as a few hours after sex (if you’re ovulating at the time and the sperm are real go-getters) or up to a week after having sex (if you had sex before actually ovulating) (Pairman, 2010).

Implantation is when the fertilized egg moves to the wall of the uterus and attaches itself, which is the scientific definition of pregnancy. This can take up to a week after fertilization happens (Jarvis, 2016). Within a few weeks, your pregnancy hormone levels rise enough that you may feel some early pregnancy symptoms like fatigue or cramping.

This all means that, in total, you can get pregnant (i.e., the embryo implants in your uterus) anywhere from within hours of having sex to two weeks after having sex.

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Age does seem to play a role in how long it takes to get pregnant. Over age 35, the rate of conception for women begins to decline.

Interestingly, one study showed that the length of the monthly fertile window itself didn’t change for women below age 40 but did show that the overall chances of getting pregnant do decrease above age 35. Fertility for men is less affected by age than in women but does decline by the late 30s (Dunson, 2002).

You can take an at-home pregnancy test as soon as you want, but it won’t show a positive result until the embryo is implanted in your uterine wall, which could be a few weeks after having sex. 

The more sensitive pregnancy tests can show a pregnancy the day you miss your period, but less sensitive ones are more accurate at around 10 days after your missed period (Anderson, 2022; Cole, 2005). 

Home pregnancy tests work by measuring the amount of “pregnancy hormone,” or human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), in your urine. Your body begins to produce hCG after implantation, so when to take a pregnancy test can vary from person to person since both implantation times and normal hCG levels can vary widely (Betz, 2021; Oliver, 2021). 

That means that some pregnancies may have detectable hCG levels several days earlier than others. It also means that if you take your test too early, you might get a false negative result just because your hCG levels haven’t had the chance to increase yet.

Pregnancy hormones also show up in your blood and can be detected sooner than in a urine test. Certain blood (serum) tests can detect a pregnancy within 48 hours of egg fertilization, but these tests have to be done in a lab or doctor’s office (Anderson, 2022).

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If you’re trying to conceive, there are a few things you can try to increase your chances of getting pregnant:

Many people wonder how often they should have sex to get pregnant. 

Having sex frequently during your fertile window may help maximize your chances of becoming pregnant. It’s a common misconception that abstaining from sex improves sperm quality. 

However, if having sex that often feels stressful, don’t worry—your chances of getting pregnant are nearly as good if you just have sex 2–3 times per week during your fertile period (ASRM, 2022).

You can help ensure that your body is ready to take on the demands of pregnancy—and increase your fertility—by keeping healthy and nourishing your reproductive health. 

This means eating a nutritious diet (like the Mediterranean diet, which positively impacts fertility) and maintaining a healthy weight (that means having not too much but not too little body fat) (Skoracka, 2021; Walker, 2021).

Cigarette smoking and high amounts of caffeine are associated with reduced fertility in women. Both can be difficult to quit, but fortunately, just reducing your cigarette and caffeine consumption can positively impact your ability to conceive (Sharma, 2013). 

How long does it take get pregnant after intercourse

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Female fertility is driven in part by a delicate balance of hormones, and stress can greatly impact this (Palomba, 2018). 

While low amounts of stress or occasional stress can be normal and healthy, too much can cause you to frequently release stress hormones, and some of these can decrease your chances of conception (Sharma, 2013). 

Try stress-reduction strategies like therapy (especially cognitive behavioral therapy), mindfulness meditation, and asking for support with work and home demands.

Many people who want to get pregnant don’t actually conceive right away—and that’s completely normal. Most couples conceive within the first six months of trying. 

However, at a certain point, it’s a good idea to see a provider to look for signs of infertility if you’re trying to get pregnant but not having any luck.

  • If you’re below age 35, you may be having fertility problems if you don’t become pregnant after 12 months of regular unprotected sex (ASRM, 2022). That’s the point when your provider may recommend fertility testing. If you’ve been trying to get pregnant for over six months, it’s a good idea to talk over your lifestyle and health history with your provider to see if there is anything you and your partner can address early on.
  • If you’re over the age of 35, infertility can be diagnosed after six months of having difficulty conceiving—that’s because pregnancy rates do begin to dip in this age group, so fertility testing to check for things like low sperm count or a female hormone imbalance may be recommended at this earlier point in time (ASRM, 2022). 

There may be simple fixes that can help boost your chances of conception—like using ovulation testing to time sexual intercourse—or there may be a more significant medical issue to address.

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Fortunately, there are fertility treatments and reproductive technologies like in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intrauterine insemination (IUI) that may be able to help pregnancy occur.

If you’re interested in learning more about your fertility but aren’t ready to see a provider, fertility tests for women are available over the counter. While they can’t tell you for sure whether you can get pregnant or not, they can give a wealth of helpful information that can be a part of the larger fertility puzzle.

  1. Anderson, J. (2022). Early pregnancy detection. Statpearls. Retrieved on May 11, 2022 from https://www.statpearls.com/ArticleLibrary/viewarticle/27621#ref_2426377
  2. Betz, D. & Fane, K. (2021). Human chorionic gonadotropin. StatPearls. Retrieved on May 11, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532950/ 
  3. Cole, L. A., Sutton-Riley, J. M., Khanlian, S. A., et. al. (2005). Sensitivity of over-the-counter pregnancy tests: Comparison of utility and marketing messages. Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, 45(5), 608-615. doi:10.1331/1544345055001391. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1544319115316307
  4. Dunson, D. B., Colombo, B., & Baird, D. D. (2002). Changes with age in the level and duration of fertility in the menstrual cycle. Human Reproduction, 17(5), 1399-403. doi:10.1093/humrep/17.5.1399. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11980771/
  5. Ecochard, R., Duterque, O., Leiva, R., et al. (2015). Self-identification of the clinical fertile window and the ovulation period. Fertility and Sterility, 103(5), 1319–1325. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2015.01.031. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0015028215000783
  6. Jarvis, G. E. (2016). Early embryo mortality in natural human reproduction: What the data say. F1000Research, 5, 2765. doi:10.12688/f1000research.8937.2. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5443340/
  7. Oliver, R. & Basit, H. (2021). Embryology, fertilization. StatPearls. Retrieved on May 11, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK542186/
  8. Palomba, S., Daolio, J., Romeo, et. al. (2018). Lifestyle and fertility: The influence of stress and quality of life on female fertility. Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology : RB&E, 16(1), 113. doi:10.1186/s12958-018-0434-y. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6275085/
  9. Pairman, S., Tracy, S. K., Thorogood, C., et. al. (2010). Midwifery: Preparation for practice. Elsevier Health Sciences, 2. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=BMuoeuHeOkQC&oi=fnd&pg=PA379&dq=physiology+of+conception&ots=NGrGmADi_h&sig=QJvLPV6Clys9CIONhNn2UGF5NXI#v=onepage&q=physiology%20of%20conception&f=false
  10. Practice Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). (2022). Optimizing natural fertility: A committee opinion. Fertility and Sterility, 117(1), 53–63. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2016.09.029. Retrieved from https://www.asrm.org/globalassets/asrm/asrm-content/news-and-publications/practice-guidelines/for-non-members/optimizing_natural_fertility.pdf
  11. ​​Sharma, R., Biedenharn, K. R., Fedor, J. M., et al. (2013). Lifestyle factors and reproductive health: Taking control of your fertility. Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology, 11(66). doi:10.1186/1477-7827-11-66. Retrieved from https://rbej.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1477-7827-11-66#citeas
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How long does it take to know if you are pregnant after intercourse?

If you're not sure when you're having your next period—or if your period is irregular– take the test at least 10 days after you had unprotected sex. There are some extra sensitive pregnancy tests that can be done before you miss your period. Some of these can be completed as soon as eight days after conception.

Can you feel pregnant after 2 days?

It varies. Some people feel pregnant within a few days of conception, while other people don't feel pregnant for weeks after a positive pregnancy test. Pregnancy symptoms vary between people and even between pregnancies.

How long typically does it take to get pregnant?

Most couples are able to get pregnant within six months to a year. If you're unable to conceive after a full year of trying, it's a good idea to consult a fertility specialist. Sometimes there's an obvious cause of infertility, like a physical problem with the ovaries, uterus, or testicles.

How long after intercourse does sperm reach egg?

Once the sperm enters the reproductive system, it can take about 30-45 minutes to reach the egg. For this, it is important to have a healthy sperm which has the right kind of motility to reach the egg and fertilize it. Once inside the body of a woman, a healthy sperm can live up to 2-5 days.