birth

The amount of misinformation floating around about birth control methods is astounding. One has to wonder where people get some of the things they come up with. Here are a few cold, hard facts.

First of all, contrary to what you may have been told, a female CAN get pregnant the first time she has sex. In fact, girls have gotten pregnant by having sex before they ever had their first menstrual period.

A female can also become pregnant having sex just once. Pregnancy is the result of a single sex act, not several.

A female does NOT have to have an orgasm in order to become pregnant. In fact, the male doesn't even have to have one. More on this later.

Pregnancy can result from having sex in any position. Having sex vertically will not prevent pregnancy. Nor will having sex with your feet on the floor or sitting in a chair or in the backseat of a car. Venue has nothing to do with pregnancy.

Pregnancy can occur even if the male pulls out "in time." There is no such thing as "in time." Many thousands of sperm can live in a single drop of male fluid. If intercourse takes place, that drop is introduced into the woman. The man does not have to have a full orgasm with ejaculation in order for a baby to be conceived.

In fact, women have gotten pregnant without penetration, if the male gets close enough and that drop of fluid finds its way in. Sure, go ahead and say that such an occurence is rare. It's not rare to the woman it happens to.

The only 100% sure method for avoiding pregnancy is abstinence. In plain English, this means no sex.

Don't let yourself by pressured into having sex. Only you can decide when you are ready to take such a major step. It doesn't matter if your friends are all "doing it" and you're the only one who isn't. Sex isn't a competition. It it an intimate physical act between two people who care a great deal for one another and who are mature enough to handle the profound emotional repercussions.

If you're a girl, especially if you're not yet an adult, don't give in to sexual pressure from your boyfriend. If he truly cares about you, he will understand if you say you're not ready. Would you ever force him to do something he didn't want to do? No. And he shouldn't be trying to force you. Love is supposed to work two ways. You're supposed to respect each other's feelings.