Can I Get Pregnant If

Can I Get Pregnant if....

This is a question I get asked in readers' emails. It stuns me at times to see that sex education in the U.S.A. is so poor that teens and 20-year-olds don't know the answers to these commonly asked questions. I’m not making fun of anyone, but I think it’s important to talk about this openly and hopefully clear up any myths or misconceptions. I will explain the answers with more detail on the pages to follow. But for now...

Can I get pregnant during unprotected sex if the guy pulls out before he ejaculates?

YES! Of course! There can be no certainty that the guy has pulled out far enough ahead of time. There is a substance that precedes semen, called the pre-ejaculatory fluid. This fluid is released just prior to ejaculation, and has been known to harbor a few sperm cells--certainly enough to be very risky. Besides, any normal guy may have trouble keeping his wits during the height of pleasurable sex to know when to pull out. Even ejaculating on the outer surfaces of the labia and vagina can result (and has resulted) in pregnancy. Don't underestimate the ability of those single-minded sperm cells!

Can I get pregnant if I have sex during my period?

YES! The actual bleeding portion of the "period" has nothing to do with ovulation, the time when the egg is released from the ovary. The two can occur at very different times.

Can I get pregnant while having sex in the shower or bath, or hot tub?

YES!

Are condoms 100 percent safe?

NO!

Can I get pregnant while taking birth control pills?

YES!

Is it safe to have sex as soon as you're on the pill?

NO!

Can I get pregnant if I miss one pill?

YES!

Can I get pregnant using the sponge with a spermicide?

YES!

This is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of answers to pregnancy questions, but rather something to spark the interest in discovering the facts about sexual intercourse and the fallacies that surround pregnancy. Please be sure to distinguish fact from fantasy before engaging in sexual intercourse.