Printer FriendlyPregnancy:
Pregnancy Facts
 |
|
 |
Unplanned Pregnancy |
| Pregnancy Tests |
|
| Frequently Asked Questions |
|
|
|
|
Should I be worried about getting pregnant if I have sexual contact?
YES. You should be worried about getting pregnant if you are having sexual contact and not using condoms or birth control all the time.
Can I get pregnant while I’m having my period?
YES, you can get pregnant even when you are having vaginal bleeding. For example, a woman can have vaginal bleeding when she is ovulating. It's possible to get pregnant any time you have vaginal intercourse, so it's important to use contraception EVERY time you have sex.
Females have eggs, males have sperm
Females have two small, grape-shaped ovaries inside their belly on either side of the uterus. You are born with ovaries and they are filled with hundreds of thousands of eggs. When you reach puberty, your ovaries ripen the eggs. Once a month your ovaries will release one of the ripened eggs. This is called ovulation.
Guys have two testicles in their scrotum. Sperm is made inside of the testicles. Unlike females, who usually release only one egg per month, males can release thousands of sperm with each ejaculation.
What happens when an egg and sperm meet?
A male releases sperm with ejaculation and a female releases an egg each month. It only takes one sperm to fertilize an egg. So, if an egg and sperm meet (an egg is fertilized), it travels down the fallopian tube and implants in the lining of the uterus. If this happens, a female becomes pregnant.
During the early stages of pregnancy the fertilized egg is called an "embryo.” As the embryo gets older it is called a “fetus." It takes about 9 months for a fertilized egg to develop into a full term baby.
How do people get pregnant?
- You can get pregnant if you have intercourse and a male releases his sperm inside of your vagina.
- You can also get pregnant if the male removes his penis from your vagina before releasing his sperm. This is because the fluid that comes out of the penis before ejaculation may have leftover sperm (from a previous ejaculation).
- You can even become pregnant if they don’t have vaginal intercourse! This can happen if the male releases his sperm outside of your body near your vagina because sperm can find their way to an egg.
 Previous |
Next: Pregnancy Tests |
Updated: 6/4/2010
