Pregnancy: General Pregnancy And Pregnancy Prevention Questions/Concerns / Question
Published: May 20, 2009
Dear TeenHealthFX,
I live in the UK, but I figure this is a pretty universal question, and I've used your site a lot in the past. I'm 18 years old and my long-term boyfriend and I have been having sex for about four months now. I feel very comfortable around him, and have no concerns about talking through sexual issues with him (I was raped a few months before we met, and that was my virginity). Sometimes during foreplay, he will enter me for a few seconds before pulling out and continuing with foreplay, and it's always at least ten minutes after putting on a condom and starting to engage in full sexual intercourse that he ejaculates. We have both had full STD screenings within the last month and are both clean, but I'm slightly concerned at the risk of pregnancy. I'm not taking any contraceptive pill because I don't agree with altering my body's natural rhythms, but we always use a condom, and check it has not split. My question is, what are the chances that I could get pregnant during the activities within foreplay? Thanks.
Signed: Chance Of Pregnancy With Quick Penetration During Foreplay
Dear Chance Of Pregnancy With Quick Penetration During Foreplay,
TeenHealthFX thinks that you DO need to be concerned about the risk of pregnancy if penetration occurs before a condom is used. Pre-ejaculatory fluids are expelled from the penis prior to ejaculation and these fluids do contain sperm which can cause pregnancy. That is part of the reason why any penetration prior to using a condom or birth control methods such as the “withdrawal method” are so risky when it comes to unwanted pregnancies. FX cannot tell you the exact chance in terms of mathematical percentages that you could get pregnant while doing what you are doing – but we can tell you there definitely is a chance. That said, if you know you do not want to get pregnant at this point in your life, you have a few choices: you can abstain from having sex, you can use a condom each and every time there is any kind of penetration, or you can reconsider your view on using something like the pill or patch. But know that continuing the way you are could result in pregnancy.
If you have any further questions or concerns about this matter, or would like to discuss birth control method options in more detail, please speak with a primary care physician or gynecologist before engaging in further sexual activity.
Signed: TeenHealthFX
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