pregnancy

What's the Risk? Easy Pregnancy Risk Assessments

At Scarleteen, we believe that no one should ever have to be pregnant if they do not want to be. We also believe that all sex should be safer sex - and that means using barriers like condoms, surgical gloves, and dental dams for genital sex. While safer sex usually provides pretty good birth control, accidents do happen. And sometimes, whether we agree with it or not or even whether we intend it or not, unprotected, unsafe sex does take place.

Why do I feel like I want a baby right now?

Emily asks:

I'm 18 years old, going on 19 and have been with my boyfriend for 2 years who is the same age. I lost my virginity to him and have never wanted any other person besides him. When we first started having sex, I was completely afraid of getting pregnant. I once thought I was pregnant and contemplated throwing myself down the stairs, though now I would never do such a thing. Now that we've been together for so long, and plan on being together for a long time to come, I've been having very strange thoughts.

I'll be in a store, and look at baby clothes or a book store and see baby books and think "Oh, it's baby stuff. I wish I had a little one of my own." Right now, my boyfriend and I live together, he goes to college and works part time and I just work. I have no clue what I want to do yet, so we decided to move and let him go to school since he had it all planned out.

He pulled out, but now I'm late

Candy asks:

Hey, I had my last period on the 8th of April. My boyfriend and I had sex on the April 21st, but he pulled out before he came. Now, I'm 2 days late for my period! I am freaking out big time, could I be pregnant? I checked the net for all the early pregnancy symptoms but none of them apply to me. I've noticed that the past week I've not had a lot of the usual discharge, but on the day my period was due I did have a lot of white discharge and the next day as well. Please reassure me! When should I really panic?

Win-win

Submitted by Heather on Sun, 04/27/2008 - 17:19.

I had an abortion in my early twenties.

It was not easy to afford. I was working 60 hours a week, in a fledgling business with a lot of overhead expenses. I was fresh out of a college education I had paid for myself, and was also caring for a parent at the time. There were no resources through public health in Chicago I could use to help with the expense. My partner was pitching in for half, but all the same, coming up with four hundred dollars was an additional struggle during an experience which was already challenging without any financial issues at play.


Are we really too young for unprotected sex?

maliburocker asks:

Me and my boyfriend have been dating for 3 months and everyone tells me that we should not be having sex! Especially unprotected! Am I really too young to be having sex and unprotected at that? (I'm 16 years old.)

A cornucopia of "Can I get pregnant if...?"

Scared asks:

Does precum contain enough sperm to get you pregnant if you have sex when its present? Also, if the guy pulls out and the cum gets all over your vagina and the a few minutes later he re-enters you, is that a pregnancy risk? My friends have told me that it's impossible, but I don't know. I'm scared, please help!

How do I trick my boyfriend into getting me pregnant?

amber asks:

I want my boyfriend to get me pregnant. But I want to trick him into it how can I do that?

Condoms and positions?

Dragons asks:

Does it make it harder to get pregnant if the girl is on top and the guy is using a condom? My girlfriend and I are ready and we both wanted to know.

The condom broke and now I'm late!

BarbieDancerx3 asks:

My boyfriend and I had intercourse on Valentine's Day. Well, as he started to ejaculate he told me to get off and I felt him ejaculate on me a little so I told him the condom broke. He told me he went in me a little, but I told him not to worry because it was the day after my period. Well I WAS supposed to get my period on the 7th and now I'm 5 days late! Lately I've been feeling tired, sick (like I'm gonna puke it happens through out the day at least once or more), dizzy, moody, my nipples are bigger (unless they were already that big and I'm now just noticing them), and I've been getting stomach aches. But now I'm starting to get little cramps like I'm going to start my period! Am I going to start soon or do you think I'm pregnant? HELP!

Shooting blanks or a loaded gun?

Rivera hit this asks:

I had this girlfriend and me and her always had unprotected sex and I was wondering why didn't I get her pregnant if I always ejaculated in her? This was like a 5 month thing that I had sex with her everyday and always ejaculated do you think that when I am ejaculating I'm shooting blanks cause I'm like really thinking about it. I'm 15 years old.

I didn't want to go without protection, but could I be pregnant?

confused_chick_2010 asks:

Ok, so I lost my virginity at 14. I'm 16 now, and I had unprotected sex about 2 weeks ago with my boyfriend who is 18. I didn't want to have it without a condom because I'm not on birth control, but he wanted to, and he's done so much for me in the past (not sexually), that I felt I owed him this. I told him that the only way I would have unprotected sex, he would have to pull out. I think he pre-ejaculated in me, but thats it. I was supposed to get my period 9 days ago, but I haven't gotten it yet. Could I be pregnant? I told my boyfriend I was late but he's convinced it's just because I've been under extra stress because of midterms. Help?

Why is birth control always the woman's responsibility?

aniseed asks:

I heard about a male birth control pill a few years ago but have not heard anything about it since. Does it even exist? Other than the condom, I feel like it's always the woman's responsibility. I know that the consequences of unprotected sex are heavier for women but I would love it if it wasn't always the woman who had to throw her body out of whack by taking birth control. That said, the pill and other hormonal birth control methods all seem to have some health risk involved (increased breast cancer risk, cardiovascular risk, etc.) I know we need to protect ourselves, but it seems extreme to take all these health risks to avoid pregnancy (considering the fact that many people who use birth control do not even use a condom or protection against STIs). I just think that if a man loved a woman, he would not want her to increase her risk of certain health problems by taking the pill. Is the condom really a dependable method for someone like me who refuses to take hormonal birth control? There are just so many choices to make when becoming sexually active.

If we're just rubbing genitals, are there still risks?

Gena N. asks:

Hi I'm a 17 year old girl and I've been sexually active with my boyfriend for a few months. We always use condoms. But recently we have been trying this new thing where I sit on him, facing him (naked obviously) and his penis is straight up and we just kinda rub up and down for a little bit. He always pees before we do stuff cause I hear that lowers pre-cum risk and also I always watch his penis as we do this so I can make sure I see nothing coming out. Also, My vagina never touches the head, it just rubs the base. Is there a pregnancy risk here? I thought it sounded safe but I still wanted to know for sure. If it's not we'll stop!

But then he put a condom on, is there still a risk?

Griz asks:

So this all started a month ago, I had been on my period for five days and I had sex with my boyfriend during my period. Around four days later we had sex again. Then we had it once more a week after. He usually goes in me for like 15-30 seconds without a condom, and then he puts a condom on. We've been thinking that I am pregnant, but instead of going anywhere to get checked, we're just waiting for me to get my period, because he thinks he didn't pre-ejaculate and I didn't know you couldn't feel pre-ejaculation until I read other peoples questions and your answers. We're just so afraid that I might be pregnant. We're both young and not ready for a baby. I AM SO SCARED! I can't even explain I have a bright future ahead of me. Is there a possibility I can be pregnant? I am going to keep waiting for my period its supposed to come next week, but what do I do? I am so afraid to even think about it. PLEASE HELP ME!!!! What are early signs of pregnancy?

Are these side effects of the pill...or am I pregnant?

NEED-ANSWERS asks:

Hi, I am on Ortho Tricyclen Lo, and I have been taking them for almost a month now. I am on my placebo pills, but haven't had my period yet. Is that supposed to happen? On day 3 of taking my pills, I had unprotected sex with my boyfriend, and three weeks later I have been feeling very sick, low energy, nauseated and bloated, and have been very moody. I'm hoping it's side effects of the pill, but I'm not sure.