Pregnancy Prevention: Myths Vs. Facts
We are bombarded with a wealth of information from family, friends, magazines and, more recently, social media on how to prevent pregnancy. But what is myth and what is fact. The following information may surprise you.
Myth: You can’ t get pregnant the first time you have sex
Fact: Any woman who is ovulating can get pregnant, regardless, if it’s her first time having sex, age, race or previous sexual history
Myth: You won’t get pregnant if you have sex on your “safe” days
Fact: Every woman has a different menstrual cycle. It is close to impossible to accurately predict which days are “safe”. Pregnancy can also occur when you have sex on the days you think are safe
Myth: If your partner does not ejaculate inside your vagina, you will not get pregnant.
Fact: Fluid that comes out before ejaculation (pre-ejaculate) may pick up some sperm from previous ejaulation which can cause pregnancy.
Myth: You can’t get pregnant if you have sex during your period
Fact: many women have irregular periods and this makes it difficult to determine when ovulation exactly occurs. Another fact is that sperm can live inside the woman’s body for up to 3 days and can fertilise an egg that is released in that time.
Myth: 2 condoms is safer than 1
Fact: Using 2 condoms together may increase the risk of the condom breaking or slipping. So 2 is actually less safe than one.
Myth: You can’t get pregnant if you have sex standing up
Fact: Sperm are great swimmers. Women can get pregnant in any sexual position when not on contraception.
Myth: You will not get pregnant if you urinate or douche (wash inside vagina) immediately after sex.
Fact: By the time you urinate or wash yourself, some sperm would have already swam up through your cervix, into your uterus and on their way to fertilising your ovum (egg).
Myth: You can’t get pregnant if you don’t orgasm during sex.
Fact: getting pregnant has nothing to do with having an orgasm.
Myth: the tighter the condom used, the less likely you are to get pregnant.
Fact: this is based on the belief that the tighter the condom, the less likely sperm will leak through. The truth is the complete opposite. The tighter the condom, the higher the risk of it breaking and causing pregnancy. There must be some space for the condom to hold the semen.
Myth: If you have irregular periods, there is less chance for you to get pregnant. So there is no need for contraception.
Fact: Regardless of your menstrual cycle, as long as you are having sex without protection/contraception, there is still a risk of getting pregnant.
