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Common myths about pregnancy
You can’t get pregnant the first time you have sex
Any time you have sex without using contraception, you could get pregnant. This includes the first time.
You can get pregnant if you give someone oral sex
You can't get pregnant giving someone oral sex but you can catch a sexual transmitted infection (STI). You can protect yourself by using a condom.
You can’t get pregnant if you have sex standing up
It doesn’t matter what position you choose, you can still get pregnant if you have sex without using contraception.
You can't get pregnant if you take someone else's contraceptive pills
Taking someone else's pills won't stop you getting pregnant. It is also unwise to use medication which has been especially prescribed for someone else.
You can’t get pregnant when you have your period
Women can get pregnant at any time of the month, although the chances of getting pregnant are higher towards mid-cycle.
You can't get pregnant if a man pulls out before ejaculation
Sperm can be released even before a full ejaculation occurs. This means that if you have sex without using contraception, you can still get pregnant even if your partner pulls out his penis before he comes.
You wear two condoms at the same time you can't ever get pregnant
Wearing two condoms doesn't work. One may rub against the other and may either come off or split. Wearing two condoms doesn't double your protection, it doubles the chances of something going wrong.
If your period is late, you must be pregnant
Stress, anxiety, and a host of other factors can affect when a woman has her period. Being late does not necessarily mean that you are pregnant. The only way to find out for sure is to carry out a pregnancy test.
Having an abortion reduces your chances of getting pregnant in the future
There is no evidence to suggest that a successful abortion, carried out by a trained professional, will necessarily reduce your chances of getting pregnant in the future. However, abortion does carry the risk of complications such as bleeding, infection, and damage to organs, which in some cases can lead to problems having a baby later in life, although such risks are low, especially when carried out in the early stages of pregnancy.1
You can’t get pregnant after giving birth until after your period starts again
Women who have recently given birth can still become pregnant even if they haven’t started menstruating again, or are currently breastfeeding. To avoid unwanted pregnancy, birth control should be used as soon as sexual intercourse is resumed.
As you near the menopause, you become less fertile and less likely to become pregnant
Women who are nearing the menopause can still become pregnant, even if their periods have become more irregular or less frequent. To avoid unwanted pregnancy, you should take the necessary contraception right up until your last period.
- WHO. Global prevalence and incidence of selected curable sexually transmitted infections: overview and estimates. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2001.
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