Can you get pregnant two days after ovulation?

When you’re trying to conceive (TTC), it’s natural to wonder exactly when in your cycle you can get pregnant. Sex education classes at school may have made out that pregnancy can happen all too easily at any time, but the reality is a little more complex than that. So understanding what’s going on in your body when ovulation (the release of an egg) happens, and when that could ultimately lead to pregnancy, may help to remove some of the guesswork.

So, can you get pregnant two days after ovulation? We’ll take a deep dive into when you’re actually classed as being pregnant, the best time in your cycle for conceiving, and other useful tips if you’re TTC.  

Key takeaways: Can you get pregnant two days after ovulation?

• When you ovulate, one of your ovaries releases a mature egg, which travels down your fallopian tube.
• If sperm are there waiting to meet it, the egg may be fertilized, and this may lead to pregnancy.
• For the best chance of pregnancy, you should aim to have regular unprotected sex inside your fertile window, which includes the five days before you ovulate and up to one day after. That’s because sperm can live inside you for five days, and the egg only survives for 12 to 24 hours after it’s released. 

See a health care professional if you have any concerns about ovulation or your cycle. An app like Flo can help you track your cycles and symptoms so you can understand your normal and spot patterns, such as your body’s fertility signs.

How does ovulation work?

Ovulation is the time in your cycle when one of your ovaries releases an egg, which has matured after growing inside a little fluid-filled sac called a follicle. That egg then travels down your fallopian tube, where it’s possible for it to be fertilized by sperm. But there’s only a small window of time when that can happen because the egg can only survive for 12 to 24 hours once it’s been released.

After ovulation, your body starts producing the hormone progesterone to thicken the lining of your uterus, where the egg will need to implant if it’s been fertilized. If fertilization or implantation doesn’t happen, your uterine lining then sheds as your period, and your cycle starts again.

Can you get pregnant two days after ovulation?

Getting pregnant involves several steps, from having sex to getting that positive test result. But whichever stage you focus on, it’s not possible to get pregnant two days after ovulation. 

The moment you conceive — which is when sperm fertilizes the egg in your fallopian tube — can only happen up to a maximum of 24 hours after you ovulate because your egg can’t survive any longer than a day after it’s released. “If you have unprotected sex [two days after ovulation], the egg is unlikely to be viable by the time sperm reach your fallopian tubes,” explains Dr. Sara Twogood, obstetrician and gynecologist, Cedars-Sinai Medical Group, California, US.

Conception is a huge deal, but it isn’t the same as being pregnant. Pregnancy only begins when the fertilized egg implants into the lining of your uterus, and it can take between six to 10 days to get from ovulation to implantation. So, if you’re looking at it like that, the earliest you could actually be pregnant is around six days after ovulation — not two days.

Things can get confusing if you think you’re ovulating on a certain day, but you actually ovulate a couple of days later. In that case, you could get pregnant two days (or any number of days) after your predicted ovulation. Even in very regular cycles, ovulation day can fall at slightly different times each month, which is why it’s useful to track ovulation. You can do that in a few different ways, which we’ll explain as you read on.

What is the chance of pregnancy after ovulation?

Pregnancy can happen after ovulation, but only for a limited time. Around 12 to 24 hours of being released, your egg will be reabsorbed back into your body, meaning your chance of getting pregnant will be over for that cycle.

But while pregnancy in the hours after ovulation is possible, it’s more likely if you have sex in the days that lead up to it. Sperm can survive inside your body for up to five days. This is why, as Dr. Twogood explains, “You’re most likely to conceive if sperm are already there when you ovulate, ready to fertilize the egg.” 

One study looked at the average odds of getting pregnant from having sex on different days around ovulation. Here’s what the researchers found:

• Three days before ovulation, your odds of getting pregnant are 27%.
• Two days before ovulation, the likelihood is 33%.
• One day before ovulation is when you have the best chance to conceive. Women who have unprotected sex the day before they ovulate have around a 42% chance of pregnancy in that cycle, according to this study. 
• The day you ovulate, you have a 20% chance of getting pregnant.
• One day after ovulation, the odds of conceiving fall to 8%.
• Two days after ovulation, there’s a 0% chance of getting pregnant because the egg has been reabsorbed.

How to predict your ovulation days

A big part of getting pregnant relies on you correctly predicting your ovulation day each cycle. But, as Dr. Twogood points out, it isn’t always easy to get that right. “Even if you have regular cycles, you may not always ovulate on exactly the same day in every cycle, and anyone can have irregular ovulation from time to time,” she says. 

“It’s helpful to know when you usually ovulate, as that tells you when you’re likely to be fertile in each cycle — but remember it’s an estimate,” adds Dr. Twogood. Ovulation-tracking methods can help to make this estimate a little more precise so you feel confident you’re making the most of your fertile window. You can try any of these ways to figure out when you’re ovulating:

Check your cervical mucus 

A couple of days before ovulation, you might notice that your cervical mucus becomes stretchy and slippery — similar to raw egg whites. This is a sign you’re in the fertile phase of your cycle, but everyone is different, and some people might not notice it. Other possible physical symptoms of ovulation can include tender breasts, mild cramps, or bloating.

Try ovulation predictor kits

Ovulation tests detect the rise in luteinizing hormone that happens around 36 hours before your ovary releases an egg. To spot exactly when ovulation is about to happen, start testing your urine on the first day of your expected fertile window and keep going until you get a positive result. “If your cycles are irregular, ovulation predictor kits may still be helpful, but you’ll need to use more tests if your fertile window varies,” says Dr. Twogood. 

Monitor basal body temperature 

Your temperature at rest — known as your basal body temperature — increases slightly after you ovulate by around 0.5ºF (0.3ºC). If you track your temperature regularly using a special digital thermometer, you may be able to spot the rise. It’s worth noting, though, that this method can’t tell you in advance when you’re about to ovulate, only afterward. 

Use a tracking app to log your cycle dates and symptoms 

A period-tracking app like Flo can make it easier to monitor your cycle dates and symptoms, helping you understand your body’s fertility signals better.