Can I get pregnant?

[waterhyacinth]

Hi! I'm really sorry if this is answered somewhere that I'm not seeing, but I was wondering. If my boyfriend and I have sex but he pulls out before he's done, can I still get pregnant? I thought the answer was no but I've heard stories of it happening.

[Sam W]

Hi waterhyacinth,

So, the birth control method you're describing is called "withdrawal." It has one of the lowest typical effectiveness rates of any method, and is not something we recommend be used as the only form of birth control by young people. You can read more about why that is here: Withdrawal. To quote from that article, "When withdrawal fails, it is most often because a partner does not withdraw at all, does not withdraw in time (not seconds or moments before), well before ejaculation, or because even if they do withdraw, they still ejaculate on a partner's genitals. Much more rarely, pre-ejaculate may sometimes contain sperm cells picked up in the urethra from a previous ejaculation, and those sperm cells may be able to co-create a pregnancy."

With all that in mind, if this was the method you were planning on using, would you like to talk about some alternatives that offer more protection?

[waterhyacinth]

Sure. I don't think I'll be able to go on birth control because of my parents. but condoms are a good alternative if we can get them, right?

[Siân]

Yep, condoms are a good method of birth control, and one we always recommend to protect from STI's too. You can read all about condoms as birth control, including how to use them effectively, here: Condoms.