If a human egg lifespan is 24 hours, then how come women can get pregnant any time of the month?
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Because the exact timing of ovulation is unpredictable, and because sperm can survive for a little bit inside the uterus. It’s not that women can get pregnant at any time – they’re only fertile for, on average, a day or so out of the month – but *which* day that is varies, and they can become pregnant from sex for several days beforehand.
On average, ovulation (the release of an egg) occurs between 8 and 20 days after a woman’s last period. That means they can reasonably become pregnant from sex between ~4 and 21 days after their period, or about 17 days out of a ~28 day average cycle. But because eggs can occasionally be released outside of that range, it’s possible for a woman to become pregnant at other times, too.
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