a few nights ago i was drinking with a few friends, and ended up hooking up with a boy that i barley talk to. i wasnt on the pill or anything at the time, and i dont think he wore a condom. should i talk to him and ask him?
and.. i started my period the day after, does this mean that it is not possible for me to get pregnant?

I have to answer this question now because pregnancy is a rather time-sensitive subject.

Let’s go back to basics and take a refresher course on menstruation and its three phases - pre-ovulatory infertile, fertile, and post-ovulatory infertile.

1. Pre-Ovulatory Infertile Phase aka Your Period - Day 1 - Day 7
   Us girls know this phase all to well. It can take place between 2 to 7 days and can be heavy or light while it sheds our uterine lining, blood, and other vaginal fluids.
   
   
2. Fertile Phase aka The Danger Zone - Day 8 - 13
   When your period start to end, your brain releases substances that eventually reach the pituitary gland (also in the brain). The pituitary gland then makes two types of hormones (luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone(FSH)). These hormones let an ovum (egg) mature.  Then ovulation begins, which means an ovum is released from one of our ovaries and begins its long travel to the uterus. First the dear little ovum enters one of our fallopian tubes via the fimbria (the spider-looking things on the end). The ovum is carried by little hairs that line our fallopian tubes. These gently rock the ovum back and forth so it can travel at a glacial speed for five to six days until it finally reaches the uterus. You are most fertile during the end of this phase and the beginning of the next.
   
   Note: Sometimes women release more than one egg, which leads to fraternal twins, triplets, etc. 
   
   
3. Post-Ovulatory Infertile aka Clean Up or Settling In - Day 14-28
   Progesterone is produced by the ovary and this hormone starts to make a home in the uterus for a fertilized ovum. Our normal vaginal discharge is leaked as the house is made. When the ovum reaches the uterus and is not fertilized, it disintegrates or leaves with the discharge. The progesterone stops and the shedding of the uterine lining starts all over again.

An ovum can be fertilized at anytime as it travels through the fallopian tube to the uterus. If it is fertilized, the ovum settles on the uterine wall and pregnancy begins. Of course, no period will occur since progesterone keeps getting released to make a better home for the fertilized ovum. And I realize some people prefer a different order to for the stages, but this is my blog, so I’ll go with what I prefer :)

Now that I’ve got the lesson out of the way, I can get back to your predicament. Because you started your period the day after you had sex, technically you would have just a small chance of being pregnant. Every woman’s cycle is different and anytime an unprotected penis comes into contact with an unprotected vulva, there’s a risk for pregnancy. I would urger you to just put yourself at ease and get a home pregnancy test. $10 is a cheap price to pay for peace of mind.

And please please please please get yourself tested for STIs and STDs. There’s no “safe days” when it comes to getting infected by those buggers. Go to a clinic or doctor and ask for the standard STD/STI screening. They’ll know what to do.

As for the boy, of course you need to talk to him if you come back positive for any of the STD/STI screenings. It might make for an uncomfortable conversation, but it is the right thing to do. I also don’t see any problem in asking him if he used a condom either. You have a right to know, and if he didn’t, hopefully it’ll make him realize how irresponsible he’s acting with his hookups.

And readers, don’t use the rhythm method and call it “safe sex.” Sex without any form of protection is never safe.