Rose, help! I’m worried about potential pregnancy

Pregnancy, what some consider the sole purpose of sexual intercourse, always seems to… Pregnancy, what some consider the sole purpose of sexual intercourse, always seems to inspire mixed emotions. Our generation tends to be fearful and anxious at the mere thought of pregnancy.

Just think of the way the media portrays people our age in the pregnancy predicament.

It’s a scene with a young couple in which a girl, who’s practically twitching from nerves, tells her soon-to-be baby’s father she’s pregnant – he then needs time to clear his head. And every so often we see the worst-case scenario that usually looks something like the “Maury Povich Show” – before we find out who didn’t father the child.

Long story short, we as college students don’t usually look at the idea of pregnancy favorably. But with the same passion we oppose the idea of pregnancy, we love sex. And whether you believe that procreation is the sole purpose of sex or not, pregnancy can very well be the result of an array of sexual practices or situations.

I sought out Dr. Pamela Talley in the Medical Arts building to help evaluate six risky scenarios that she then rated from low to high risk.

Condom breakage – medium to high risk. If your male partner has already ejaculated when the condom breaks, chances are, if you are not on any other form of birth control, you have a high risk of getting pregnant. If, however your partner has not ejaculated, there is a medium risk of getting pregnant from pre-ejaculate.

Vaginal and penile play with no penetration – low risk. During foreplay this act could be something that “just happens” if your genitals are exposed. But the risk associated with this sexual practice is not non-existent. Beware of pre-ejaculate; it is just as likely to get you pregnant.

Withdrawal – medium to high risk. With this sexual practice, timing is crucial when considering the risk involved. If your partner pulls out immediately before ejaculation, this lowers the chances that you are pregnant. However, if your partner pulls out after he’s ejaculated, the chances of getting pregnant increase dramatically. If you are a woman in this situation, it’s ultimately impossible to gauge your partner’s timing.

Transference – medium risk. In the heat of any sexual moment there are usually a lot of juices flowing. Women tend to secrete vaginal fluids and men tend to pre-ejaculate. Now add to that foreplay and manual stimulation and there is a possibility of transference. If a man has pre-ejaculate on his hands and he manually stimulates his partner, this could put her at risk for getting pregnant.

Anal sex – medium risk. While this entrance operates completely independent of the vaginal entrance, because they are in such close proximity, there is still a risk for pregnancy. If ejaculation drips down into the vaginal entrance and the sperm has a strong swimming capability, there is at least a medium risk for pregnancy.

Sexual intercourse with contraception – low to high risk. Sexual intercourse with a condom carries a low risk of causing pregnancy, provided the condom doesn’t break. Sexual intercourse with spermacide has a higher risk than withdrawal when it comes to pregnancy. Sexual intercourse partnered with birth control has a 1-3 percent chance of causing pregnancy. That is completely dependent on one’s ability to take her birth control and take care of her overall health. Every time your partner forgets to take a pill, her patch falls off or she stalls on getting the shot, this increases the likelihood that she will get pregnant if that is her only form of birth control. Also, if your partner is on antibiotics, this can decrease the effectiveness of birth control. If your partner is on the pill and they have diarrhea or a vomiting illness, this decreases the effectiveness of birth control.

In the end, ensuring pregnancy prevention while participating in a form of unsafe sex usually involves depending on someone else to either take her birth control or pull out on time. While there are no guarantees when it comes to your partner’s practices, usually birth control partnered with condom usage is effective for the prevention of pregnancy and STIs. Talk to your doctor to see what method is best for your health.

You will notice that most of these scenarios that illustrate unsafe sexual practices result in a higher risk of pregnancy and could put you at an even higher risk for STIs. Next week, we’ll explore these scenarios from the perspective of STIs, because as melodramatic as media portrayals of pregnancy are, it’s survivable.

Remember when it comes to sex be safe, be smart, be savvy! E-mail Rose at sex@pittnews.com.