with or without a baby.
how you get pregnant
You may have learned about ovulation and menstruation in health class. A woman gets her period usually once every 21-40 days. In between her periods the woman ovulates (she releases an egg). If the egg makes a love-connection with any sperm, it gets fertilized and chances are that you're pregnant. However, if the egg doesn't hook up with any sperm, the egg leaves the woman's body and she gets her period like usual-no pregnancy. Sperm leave a guy's body in his cum and pre-cum. During sex the guy has to release the sperm inside the woman's vagina in order to fertilize an egg.
What this all means is that women are most likely to get pregnant around the time they ovulate (release an egg). Ovulation usually happens from a week after your period until a week before your period. But don't count on it! Your period might not be that regular. And ovulation can really happen at any time, even during your period.
So it's never "safe" to have sex without using birth control, like a condom for instance.
But what if...
We had sex (but not intercourse) with our clothes on, could I be pregnant?
No. Sperm can't go through clothes! If you had sex in your jeans, shorts,
underwear or bathing suit (dry humping), without the penis entering the vagina, there's no way you can be pregnant.
He came outside my vagina, could I be pregnant?
Probably not. Sometimes, if the guy cums outside, but very, very near the
opening of the vagina, the sperm can find their way inside. And you could
get pregnant if his penis was inside your vagina, but he pulled out before
cumming. That's because guys don't always pull out soon enough and some
cum leaks out way before orgasm (precum).
We had sex during my period, could I be pregnant?
Yes. Even though this is the least likely time for you to get pregnant, it
does happen. Women can ovulate at any time, even during their period. And
menstrual blood can transmit HIV, so you should definitely practice safe
sex during your period.
We had sex without using birth control, what do I do now?
If you had unprotected sex or your birth control failed (like the condom
broke) you have two choices. You have five days (120 hours from the time
you had sex) to get the morning-after-pill. Call the Emergency
Contraceptive Hotline to find out more: 1-888-NOT-2-LATE (go to their website at
www.NOT-2-LATE.com). Or you can wait
and see if your period comes on time and get a pregnancy test if it
doesn't.
signs of pregnancy
- Missing your period or having a very light short period.
- Tender and swollen breasts.
- Having to go to the bathroom a lot.
- Changes in mood and appetite.
- "Morning Sickness" -- nausea or vomiting for no reason, especially when you first wake up.
- Wet spots (discharge) in your underwear.
Signs of pregnancy are different for each woman. You may have none of these signs or all of them. Also, many women get these symptoms when they're about to get their period.
Trust your instincts. If you think you're pregnant, get tested.
pregnancy testing
If you've missed your period and you think you may be pregnant you should get tested as soon as possible. You can buy tests in drugstores or go to a clinic or doctor. Watch out for bogus clinics like Crisis Pregnancy Centers, which offer free pregnancy tests, but are not real clinics. They hope to scare you out of choosing abortion if you don't want to be pregnant. Remember that it's your body and your choice to make! (See Abortion for more on bogus clinics.) Pregnancy tests from drugstores are often wrong, and the tests are expensive. Some tests make it difficult to tell the "yes" from the "no."
We suggest you go to a clinic for a simple urine or blood test for pregnancy. Free tests are done at most public health clinics (see Resources). Don't wait! The sooner you know, the more choices you have: either to get an abortion in the first 3 months (the safest kind), or to get early health care if you decide to carry through with the pregnancy.
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trust your instincts, if you think you're pregnant, get tested