Comments on: Safest Sex

By: Steph

Steph — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 07:02:26 +0000

Certain things can reduce the effectiveness of birth control pills. Taking antibiotics, for example. Or missing pills, which I used to do regularly (and STILL didn’t get pregnant).

But I agree with Marinka, most people that claim to have “accidentally” gotten pregnant really just don’t want to fess up to their irresponsibility.

I once had to explain to my “accidentally” pregnant sister-in-law that putting a condom on two yards before the touchdown is not an effective line of defense.

Then when she scratched her head at my obscure analogy, I told her that the freaking condom needs to be worn from start to finish. DUH!!!

It’s not an “accident”. It’s stupidity.

By: Heather

Heather — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:31:17 +0000

I can think of two types of sex you can have without getting pregnant.

By: suburbancorrespondent

suburbancorrespondent — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:25:27 +0000

I’m with Erin on this one – if this person isn’t someone to raise a baby with, don’t have sex. Sex is not the be-all and end-all of a relationship.

Also, that not having a maternal bone in your body thing? That’s what post-partum hormones are for. At least in my case…when I first got pregnant, I tried to convince my boyfriend that we give the baby (his baby) up for adoption, because I didn’t like kids. He wisely wouldn’t agree. We’re married now, with 6 children. And happy.

By: Andrea's Sweet Life

Andrea's Sweet Life — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:42:54 +0000

What ever you do, don’t use the “withdrawal” method of birth control because, technically, that’s NOT birth control that’s russian roulette.

By: Inna

Inna — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:16:16 +0000

I say wear condoms all the time. Just don’t wear 2 at the same time. This causes the condom to actually break easier. They were made to be worn ONE at a time.
I did the pill and condom combination for a while, not pregnant yet!

By: K-Line

K-Line — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:53:53 +0000

OK, I think the likelihood of getting pregnant on one – much less 2 – forms of birth control is negligible. I know 6 people who can’t get pregnant despite all kinds of intervention – they’re no more the status quo than this writer’s unintentionally pregnant friends.

What I would suggest is getting more in touch with your own body and cycles. I don’t recommend the pill because some potential side effects are crap (depression, loss of sexual interest). Those aren’t hypothetical for me, they were the reality. What you learn when you start charting your cycles (sympto thermal method) is that you are only fertile when you’re fertile. Abstain from sex then. I’m making this sound very simple, it’s not of course, it’s takes a while to understand one’s body as well as one must to undertake this method. A broken condom won’t yield pregnancy if you’re having sex at the time of the month that isn’t fertile.

I’ve been using this method for 12 years. I got pregnant after one try (on the basis that I knew when I was fertile). I’ve never been pregnant before or since.

Note: I’m not recommending that you chart/ record your daily basal temp without using another barrier method. If pregnancy is so concerning, double up.

I just don’t think the same kind of fear will be there if you understand how your body experiences its fertility.

By: Aludra

Aludra — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:50:50 +0000

I’m married and my husband and I both dislike the idea of having kids. The only reason we haven’t bit the bullet and had a surgery to prevent it is because we’re still so young and it’s not reliably reversable. Instead we are doubling up. Condoms and pills. 4 years later still no children. Knocking on wood now.
Aside from the baby thing, there are other reasons to stay celibate until you’re really ready. Sex is an obsession at first, so if you’re still in school, it will be an enormous distraction. Just an FYI that no one seems to mention.

By: Erin G

Erin G — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:25:36 +0000

I’m pregnant on the pill right now. (3 more months to go.) I assume if you’re comfortable enough to have sex with this man, you’d be comfortable raising a kid with him, even if you’re not ready. because that MIGHT happen.

If your world would end in the case that you and this man made a baby, don’t have sex yet.

By: The Laughing Idiot

The Laughing Idiot — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:00:04 +0000

You never know what your body is going to do. My sister got pregnant by accident twice; whereas, I had to use fertility drugs – go figure!

By: Ali

Ali — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:51:58 +0000

My good friends in college doubled up on birth control — and yup, still got pregnant. So, even with that, it still happens.

Long story short, if you don’t want to get pregnant, don’t have sex.