How Long Does It Take To Get Pregnant After Sex? A Timeline

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SubscribeHow long does it take to get pregnant after sex?Medically reviewed by Valinda Riggins Nwadike, MD, MPH — Written by Zawn Villines — Updated on May 12, 2025

• The odds of conceiving
• Fertilization timeline
• Implantation timeline
• When to take a test
• Early signs
• Improving the odds?
• Plan B
• Summary

The amount of time that it takes to get pregnant after sex depends on individual circumstances. Conception can occur in hours or days, and implantation usually happens about a week later.

No single type of sexual intercourse guarantees pregnancy, even if the partners are fertile, healthy, and do not use contraception.“Sex” means different things to different people and in different circumstances. For the purposes of this article, we use this term to refer to sexual intercourse that involves ejaculation into the vagina.

Below, we describe the factors that affect how long it takes to get pregnant after sex. We also look at when to take a pregnancy test, early signs of pregnancy, whether anything increases the odds of conceiving, and when emergency contraception is effective.

The odds of getting pregnant

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Many factors can affect people’s chances of conceiving. These include:

• age
• general and reproductive health
• how often they have sex

Most of the time, a female will become pregnant within a year of having regular sex without using contraception. However, some people take longer.

According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, a healthy 30-year-old woman has a 20% chance of getting pregnant each month that she has sex during her fertile period, just before or during ovulation. By age 40, the society estimate, the likelihood of conceiving in this way drops to 5%. While fertility varies widely from person to person, it does decline with age.

How long does fertilization take? 

Fertilization can only occur if a viable egg and sperm meet. The time it takes depends on whether the person has ovulated yet and how quickly the sperm reach the egg.

Sperm can live in the female reproductive tract for about 5 days, so pregnancy after sex may take place up to 1 week before ovulation.

An egg lives for 12–24 hours after ovulation. This means that fertilization can occur if intercourse happens anywhere from several days before ovulation to about 1 day after ovulation.

After a sperm fertilizes an egg, the egg begins dividing rapidly. It travels down the fallopian tube and into the uterus, where it must implant in the wall of the uterus.

In natural cycles, those that do not involve reproductive technology, about half of all fertilized eggs do not implant. In these cases, fertilization does not lead to pregnancy.

How long does implantation take?

Implantation, when the egg burrows into the lining of the womb, happens about 5 to 6 days after ovulation.

When to take a pregnancy test

Pregnancy tests check levels of the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which is produced during pregnancy. They cannot produce a positive result until two things have happened:

• The egg has implanted in the uterus.
• Levels of HCG have risen high enough to be detectable.

A person can carry out most pregnancy tests after the first day of a missed period, or 21 days after they last had sex.

Learn more about how and when to take a pregnancy test here.

Early pregnancy signs

Some people experience no changes early in pregnancy, while others notice differences right away.

A person may experience the following early changes:

• swollen or painful nipples or breasts
• nausea
• fatigue
• vomiting
• headaches
• spotting
• food cravings
• changes in mood or emotion
• aversions to certain foods
• more frequent urination

It is worth keeping in mind, however, these are also common experiences in people who are not pregnant.

The most accurate way to check for pregnancy is to take a pregnancy test.

Learn more about early signs of pregnancy here.

Can you improve the chances?

Folk myths about ways to improve the odds of pregnancy abound. Some say that taking certain remedies or lying down after sex increases the chances of getting pregnant. No scientific evidence supports these or similar claims.

A 2017 systematic review and meta-analysis assessed whether lying down after intrauterine insemination (IUI) increased the likelihood of getting pregnant. IUI is a procedure that involves inserting sperm into the vagina.

The researchers found no evidence that lying down improved the chances of getting pregnant after IUI.

Anyone who wants to enhance their fertility should speak with a healthcare provider.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encourage all people who are trying to get pregnant to take at least 400 micrograms of folic acid per day. This is not to improve the likelihood of pregnancy — the aim is to reduce the risk of neural tube abnormalities in the fetus, should pregnancy occur.

Emergency contraception

Emergency contraception, sometimes called Plan B or the morning-after pill, uses hormones to prevent ovulation. If ovulation does occur, Plan B reduces the likelihood of successful implantation.

Plan B does not cause an abortion — it does not induce pregnancy loss in a person who is already pregnant.

The earlier a person takes emergency contraception, the more effective it is. It works best when a person takes it within 12 hours of unprotected sex, but it can work for up to 72 hours after sex.

Summary

There is a relatively wide time frame during which fertilization is possible, and a number of factors influence this.

People can identify their fertile windows using home fertility tests and other monitoring strategies. A doctor can advise about additional ways to prevent pregnancy or boost fertility.

 

• Fertility
• Pregnancy / Obstetrics
• Women's Health / Gynecology

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesMedical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

• Age and fertility. (n.d.).https://www.reproductivefacts.org/news-and-publications/patient-fact-sheets-and-booklets/documents/fact-sheets-and-info-booklets/age-and-fertility/
• Anderson J, et al. (2020). Early pregnancy diagnosis.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK556135/
• Conception: How it works. (n.d.).https://www.ucsfhealth.org/education/conception-how-it-works

• Cordary D, et al. (2017). Immobilization versus immediate mobilization after intrauterine insemination: A systematic review and meta-analysis.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2468784717301873
• Doing a pregnancy test. (2022).https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/trying-for-a-baby/doing-a-pregnancy-test/
• Folic acid. (2020).https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/folicacid/index.html
• How long after sex does pregnancy occur? (2019).https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/teens/ask-experts/how-long-does-it-take-for-a-girl-to-get-pregnant-after-having-sex
• How long does it usually take to get pregnant? (2022).https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/trying-for-a-baby/how-long-it-takes-to-get-pregnant/
• Pascual, Z. (2020). Physiology, pregnancy.https://statpearls.com/articlelibrary/viewarticle/27194/
• Plan B — frequently asked questions. (n.d.).https://planb.ca/en/faq
• The difference between the morning-after pill and the abortion pill. (2016).https://www.plannedparenthood.org/files/3914/6012/8466/Difference_Between_the_Morning-After_Pill_and_the_Abortion_Pill.pdf
• What are some common signs of pregnancy? (2017).https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/pregnancy/conditioninfo/signs
• You and your pregnancy at 1 to 3 weeks. (2021).https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/week-by-week/1-to-12/1-2-3-weeks/

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Medically reviewed by Valinda Riggins Nwadike, MD, MPH — Written by Zawn Villines — Updated on May 12, 2025

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