age gap

[rsdd23]

so me (16M) and my girlfriend (15F) have been dating since a year and half now and in september we had our first pregnancy scare. that pregnancy scare shook me up real good. i get anxious everytime i meet my gf with the fear i will accidentally get her pregnant just by touching her. me and my gf also have a one and half year age gap between us and i will turn 18 in february 2025 while she will turn 18 in june 2026. so im scared that if i get her pregnant in between february 2025 and june 2026 i may be arrested as the age of consent in our country is 18. is there any way i can get rid of this fear of being pregnant and avoid getting her pregnant?

[Latha]

Hi Rsdd23

I'm sorry this has been causing you so much stress! Don't worry, you cannot get your girlfriend pregnant just by touching her. Not all sexual activities pose risks of pregnancy, and you can mitigate such risks by using birth control, so to manage your fear, you should start by educating yourself about that. Here are some articles that might help:

• Can I Get Pregnant, or Get or Pass On an STI From That?

• Birth Control Bingo

Since you've been feeling so anxious about this, I think it might be a good idea to take a break from having any kind of sex with your girlfriend, just until you feel more confident in your knowledge. There are other activities you can enjoy together in the meantime.

i may be arrested as the age of consent in our country is 18

We are not qualified to give legal advice here, but based on what I've heard, your concern isn't unfounded. While judges do dismiss cases that involve consensual relationships, it would be difficult to go through all that, both for you and your girlfriend. Additionally, under the POCSO Act, healthcare providers have to inform the police when a minor requests an abortion, which can make things difficult.

Are you keeping your relationship a secret from your families? It isn't wrong for you to do so, it is only a bit risky. How do you think your families would react if they found out?

[rsdd23]

hi, thank you for your reply. i took this into consideration and as i wasnt getting any better after 4 months of this anxiety, i decided to break up with my girlfriend. this felt like the right thing to do and even after i broke up i dont want to get back into a relationship with her. im just a bit guilty as all of this wasnt her fault but i just couldnt take it anymore

[Sam W]

Hi rsdd23,

You know, breakups can be crummy and still have been a wise decision to make, and that sounds like it was the case here. And sometimes we do have to break-up for reasons that aren't a partner's fault; while that seldom feels good, it's also the kindest thing we can do for both ourselves and for them.

If it would be helpful right now, this article has some really good advice on what to do after a breakup: Getting Through a Breakup Without Actually Breaking

[rsdd23]

Hi, thanks for your reply. what do i do to make this fear of pregnancy go away? im now irrationally scared that ive gotten her pregnant when i met her today by touching her with hands that touched my dick.. by typing that out i know how dukb that sounds lol but its a serious worry that gets me

[Sam W]

So, in order to address pregnancy fear that will not go away, it helps to first identify what might be behind that fear. We go into some common reasons for these kinds of unshakeable fears in this article: You're Not Pregnant. Why Do You think You Are?. Reading that, are there any reasons listed that feel like they apply to you?