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Last Updated:
Jan 3rd, 2010 - 00:09:53
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Question
My boyfriend and I have been having sex a few times, using a condom (I'm not on birth control yet). Every time he has "pulled out" before he is going to ejaculate, and every time the condom has been fine, no leakage,etc.
My question is...I had a brown discharge the other day, and I thought i was possibly starting my period. We had sex and used a condom like always and everything was fine, but then the "period" went away almost immediately after ...or what I thought was my period. My question is, should I be concerned that I could be pregnant, or is that normal? I wasn't exactly due for my period...but then again I'm usually irregular as it is. It was technically a few days early. What are your thoughts?
Answer
Unusual bleeding can be a sign of pregnancy, or ovulation, or hormonal fluctuations, or a variety of other reasons.
There is no contraception which is 100% effective, so pregnancy is always a possibility if one is engaging in close genital contact. Major failure of the condom, such as it coming off, can certainly be noted visually, but sperm are not visible to the eye, and neither are small defects in a condom through which sperm can pass. Hormonal methods are also not 100% effective. Bottom line, pregnancy is always a possibility if one is engaging in intercourse.
Certainly you dramatically lessen the likelihood of pregnancy with either restricting intercourse to infertile times or using contraception, but the only way to eliminate the possibility of pregnancy, and the anxiety, is to reserve sexual intercourse until one is in a position to accept its natural, and inevitable, outcome----a child.
Society tells us we are doing the responsible thing if we take these steps to lessen the likelihood of pregnancy. Now that you have experienced the vulnerability of wondering "could I be pregnant", it might be a good time to contemplate if this is truly the responsible choice for you, your boyfriend, the child you may conceive, and the future of all three of you.
I wish you the best!
Sheila St. John
Sheila St. John, CFCP, is a Certified Fertility Care Practitioner, actively teaching in hospital, parish, and private settings in Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties since the early 1980’s.
She is the Executive Director of the California Association of Natural Family Planning.
© Copyright 2005 by CANFP
The information on this page and web site is for informational purposes only,
and is not a substitute for medical diagnosis and treatment by a physician.
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