Are the first seven and the last eight days a safe period? Can it be used as a contraceptive measure?

It is well known that for female friends, as long as they have sex during the safe period, the chance of accidental pregnancy will be much less. Many people know that the so-called safe period for female friends refers to the seven days before menstruation and the eight days after menstruation. Therefore, under normal circumstances, the few days before and after menstruation are the safe period for female friends.

However, each person has different experiences. In addition, some people's menstrual cycles are not fixed, or due to other factors, the safe period may be advanced or postponed. Therefore, the first seven days and the last eight days are not necessarily the safe period for female friends.

The key to using safe period contraception is to determine the female ovulation date. When the ovaries ovulate, there is generally no special feeling. Even though some women may have symptoms such as lower abdominal pain, back pain, breast swelling and mood changes, these phenomena are not specific symptoms of ovulation and therefore cannot be used as a basis for ovulation. Menstruation and ovulation change cyclically, and there is a close relationship between the two. If you understand the changing patterns of the two, you can determine the ovulation date through indirect methods. There are many ways to determine the ovulation date, and the methods that women can master themselves include: calculating based on the menstrual cycle, measuring basal body temperature, and observing cervical mucus secretion.

About "Seven in front and eight in back"

The safe period is the seven days before and eight days after the menstrual period. However, this is just a general rule. Generally speaking, the safe period before ovulation is 7 days and the safe period after ovulation is 8 days. Many people have misunderstandings, including some people who have been using this method for a long time and a few doctors.

To be precise :

1. Ovulation usually occurs 14 days before the next menstrual period, not 14 days after the start of this one.

2. To be on the safe side, the 5 days before and 4 days after ovulation, together with the ovulation day, a total of 10 days are counted as the ovulation period.

3. The most risky approach requires avoiding the normal survival time of sperm and egg cells, which is 72 hours. Therefore, at least 3 days must be left before and after. These 3 days are called the minimum reserved period for the safe period.

There are several situations :

a. If your menstrual cycle has been 28 days for a long time, you can treat it according to the first seven and the last eight, because this can avoid the 10-day dangerous period.

b. For a woman who often has short cycles, such as a 21-day cycle, the ovulation day is around the 7th day. At this time, there is no safe period before ovulation, because the minimum reserved period before ovulation may occur at any time just after the menstrual period ends. For such women, there may be a risk of pregnancy even if their menstruation has just ended.

c. For a woman who often has a long cycle, such as a 35-day cycle, the ovulation day is around the 21st day. The delayed ovulation at this time makes it impossible to determine the safe period after ovulation.

d. If the menstrual cycle has always been unstable and the safe period cannot be calculated, the safe period method cannot be used.

The safe period may change due to various reasons, so the safe period can only be used as a reference and cannot be used as an effective means of contraception.

It is normal for a woman to have a menstrual cycle of 26 to 35 days, with a difference of about 10 days. This shows that the safe period may not be as safe as expected. In Hong Kong, the safe period is generally considered to be the 7 days before and 7 days after menstruation, so it is commonly known as the first seven and the last seven.

Taking the 28-day menstrual cycle as an example, 3 to 5 days after the first menstruation is called the "menstrual period", and the first stage of the safe period begins after it is clean. The two safe periods between menstrual cycles are separated by ovulation. Ovulation almost certainly occurs on the 14th day before your next period, 5 days earlier or 4 days later. This is also called the danger period. Because male sperm can survive in the female body for 3 days, it is necessary to move the dangerous period 3 days earlier than the aforementioned 14 days to prepare for any unexpected events. That day is the end of the first stage of the safe period. The second safe period begins 4 days after the aforementioned 14 days and lasts until the second menstrual period arrives. It can be seen that the safety period of the second stage is safer than the first stage. Ovulation usually occurs 12 to 22 days after menstruation, marking the dangerous period.

Here I would like to remind all female friends that another important point in calculating the safe period is that not every bleeding indicates menstruation. Therefore, for female friends who want to use the safe period for contraception, if they are not sure when their safe period is, it is best to take some other methods of contraception.