And what woman has never had this doubt? At least those who want to get pregnant and have a menstrual cycle more like a roller coaster must have asked themselves this. After all, is it possible to get pregnant without menstruating?
Come and understand what happens and discover the answer. Because not menstruating does not mean not ovulating! Many women get pregnant even without having a regular menstrual period, and those who don’t menstruate can ovulate too.
We can say that it is possible to get pregnant without menstruating, but with some caveats. That’s because the absence of menstruation happens for different reasons, and depending on the cause, it may or may not interfere with getting pregnant. Among them, the most common is the fluctuation of the levels of the hormones responsible for the cycle.
This hormonal fluctuation causes changes in cycle length, even in women with issues like polycystic ovaries1. That’s why, even with very long cycles of 80, 90, or 120 days, it is possible to get pregnant. But the fact is: why can women get pregnant without menstruating?
Because women can ovulate during these very long cycles. What changes from one cycle to another when the length varies is the amount of time it takes for the eggs to mature and be released. And some women get this GnRH stimulus much later. There’s no limit for when this stimulation can happen, so women who haven’t menstruated for over a year can have this sudden hormonal release and then ovulate and get pregnant.
Long Menstrual Cycle
Why can cycles be so long? Because some women have issues like SOMP, PCOS, or cycles can be the result of other factors such as thyroid hormone dysfunctions2. In the case of PCOS, for example, what disrupts pregnancy is the elevation of androgen levels, which throws the other hormones into imbalance.
This includes LH, FSH, and also progesterone. But not every long cycle is the result of a permanent issue like PCOS and can also be caused by some temporary hormonal imbalance. In fact, in the vast majority of women who get pregnant even without menstruating, late ovulation is detected, triggered by low hormone levels. The best thing for women with PCOS is to use medications prescribed by their doctor, but there are scientifically proven effective vitamin options to help manage the syndrome, such as Myo-Inositol. You can find out more about it here.
Is It Possible to Get Pregnant While Breastfeeding and Not Menstruating?
In these situations, yes, it is still possible for pregnancy to happen. However, we must take into account that other hormones are in control. Without prolactin and oxytocin, getting pregnant would be easier.
Prolactin is a natural inhibitor of ovulation3. That’s why many women neither menstruate nor ovulate during breastfeeding. But, as hormones are unpredictable, a woman should protect herself before resuming sexual activity.
Is a Breastfeeding Woman Not Fertile?
See, it’s not because a woman is breastfeeding and not menstruating that she is infertile, but the chances of getting pregnant are lower. This means that there is indeed a possibility, even if it is small. That does not mean that pregnancy cannot occur and that you can have unprotected sex without worry. You need to be careful after childbirth, even for the sake of your health and for proper body recovery.
In summary: it is possible to get pregnant without menstruating, but it is necessary for the stimulating hormones to awaken so that one or more follicles can mature and ovulation can occur. If you want to get pregnant and have been waiting for your period for more than 40 days, then it’s worth considering talking to your doctor.
Inducing menstruation and starting a new cycle with greater chances of ovulation is one of the possible paths. An anovulatory cycle can be a real problem for those trying to get pregnant! Still have questions? Talk to your gynecologist and make them your best ally!
See also: What Causes Urinary Tract Infections? Does It Affect Getting Pregnant?
