Can you get pregnant on your period with a condom?

Author: Aunt Vadge
Qualified Naturopath | BHSc(N)

Last reviewed: July 7, 2026

Hi Aunt Vadge,

My boyfriend and I recently had sex for the second time. We used a condom, he pulled out before finishing, and the condom didn’t rip (I was also on my period at the time), but I’m worried I might be pregnant. This happened the first time too. I know it’s probably not possible, but I can’t help worrying. He says there’s no way I could be.

Best,
Worried
Ireland

Hi Worried,

You’re safe – but I want you to have the right reasons, because one of them protects you for life and one is a bit of a myth I don’t want you relying on. The real protection here is straightforward: you used a condom that didn’t break, and he didn’t ejaculate in or near your vagina.

That’s it – that’s what makes pregnancy extremely unlikely, on any day of your cycle. An intact condom is a barrier; it doesn’t care what date it is.

The myth to retire is the other half of your reasoning: ‘I was on my period, so I can’t get pregnant.’ It feels true, and period sex is lower risk, but it isn’t impossible – sperm can survive around five days inside you, so if you have a shorter cycle and ovulate soon after your period, period sex can occasionally land in your fertile window.

So please don’t treat being on your period as contraception in its own right. Here, you’re fine because of the condom, not the timing.

The properly empowering move is to learn your own cycle, so this worry stops gripping you every time. Our pages on when you can and can’t get pregnant and how to tell when you’re ovulating will show you your fertile window for yourself, and once you can see it, the facts reassure you far better than anyone’s say-so. Keep using condoms properly and you can relax.

Warmest regards,
Aunt Vadge

This is general information, not a substitute for personalised medical advice.