There seems to be too much confusion about the safe days for not getting pregnant. These days are real you just need to know how to find them. So I’m going to do my best explaining it in the most simple way possible.
But before we start let’s get 2 things out of the way:
- There are no safe days to avoid STD’s (sex transmitted diseases) the safe days we discuss here are only good for avoiding pregnancy
- The “safe days” are never 100% safe for avoiding pregnancy
Now let’s see what are the safe days for not getting pregnant, when are they, and how you can track them with great accuracy.
- 1 Safe days for not getting pregnant definition
- 2 When are the Safe days to avoid pregnancy?
- 3 How to track ovulation and avoid pregnancy
- 4 How to keep track of your basal body temperatures?
- 5 Are safe days really safe?
- 6 Are the days after period considered safe days?
- 7 How many days after period is safe to avoid pregnancy?
- 8 How to count safe days after periods?
- 9 Can you get pregnant before your period?
Safe days for not getting pregnant definition
A day will be considered safe for not getting pregnant only when there’s no chance for the male sperm cells to meet with the woman’s egg cell inside her body.
A woman’s egg cell appears in her body once every menstrual cycle (28-31 days) and stays there for up to 24 hours.
On these 24 hours, you are most fertile and you don’t want a sperm cell anywhere near you. But also in the 5 days before that.
Because after intercourse, a sperm cell can survive inside a woman’s body for up to 5 days. Sperm can survive inside your uterus for five full days.
Since a safe day is when the chances of an egg cell and a sperm cell meeting are zero, the five days before your ovulation are also not safe.
Out of your entire menstrual cycle, you have 6 days that are considered un-safe: Ovulation day + 5 days before that. In all other days, chances of getting pregnant are close to 0%.
When are the Safe days to avoid pregnancy?
As I said above and as you can see here on the Kindara website, the safe days to avoid pregnancy are all the days of the menstrual cycle except for 6 days. Your ovulation day + the five days prior to it.
Your ovulation day occurs once, every menstrual cycle and it’s when the egg cell is ready to meet a sperm cell. It lasts between 12-24 hours.
So if you can track your ovulation, find the exact day when you ovulate and the five days before it – you can know when your safe days are.
Gosh, if there was only a way to find them…
How to track ovulation and avoid pregnancy
There are a few ways to find the safe days for not getting pregnant and they are called ‘natural family planning’ or fertility awareness methods.
These methods use the symptoms the body is projecting during the menstrual cycle to predict ovulation and the five days prior to it.
Before your ovulation day your body is making more hormones and your basal (at rest) temperature rises by about 0.4 degree celcious.
By keeping track of your temperature every day, you can notice the changes, and know when you’re about to be fertile.
How to keep track of your basal body temperatures?
We highly recommend using a fertility monitor for natural contraception. There are a few good options on the market you should consider according to your budget.
The most basic option is downloading the Kindara app and buying a sensitive basal body thermometer.
Every day before you get out of bed you take your temperatures under the tong. You insert the temperatures into the app and then it tells you whether it’s a safe day or an unsafe day, the rest is up to you to have intercourse accordingly.
Are safe days really safe?
Safe days are only safe if you are using a fertility awareness method with trustworthy and accurate equipment. Otherwise, you should be using other barrier methods to prevent pregnancy.
If you are using the Kindara app combined with an accurate thermometer, then yes, the safe days are really safe.
Are the days after period considered safe days?
The answer is no, and you can read more about it here in the post we wrote about it. Basically, the reason is that it’s possible that you will ovulate within 5 days after your periods. It’s not likely, but it certainly can happen and you should not automatically consider the days after your period as safe.
How many days after period is safe to avoid pregnancy?
The days after periods can not be considered as safe to avoid pregnancy. The real safe days are the days after ovulation and not after the period.
The secret is to know how to track down your ovulation.
How to count safe days after periods?
Simply don’t do this.
Your safe days are not after your periods so you have no reason to count them, There is a fair chance of getting pregnant if having sex after your period. The real safe days happen after your ovulation and before your period.
Can you get pregnant before your period?
It is very unlikely to get pregnant before your period. Because the days after your ovulation and before your period is the time frame we call “Safe days”.
The real trick here is to know when your ovulation occurs and the truth is most women have no idea when are they ovulating so they can not know what is the definition of this time frame.
Learn how to find your safe days by tracking your temperature and ovulation days, and stop guessing.