getting pregnant

I am curious, my girlfriend recently went off the pill. WE want to continue having sex, with just condoms, but we do not want to get her pregnant. Can anyone give me info on the chances of her getting pregnant by just usinga condom? or link me somewhere that can help.

much appreciated

if you use them right, like squeezing the air out of the tip and stuff, they are 98% effective i think is the number. if you use them right, they shouldn't break and you should be safe.

But shit happens sometimes.

one more tip of advice, if you would have posted this on the GB or the "How to" you probably would've gotten a lot of responses and information, those guys and gals are resourceful. just a thought

Hey, I'm a nursing student and just thought I'd share what I have learned. As you know condoms are fairly effective but as perviously mentioned shit happens. The best way to prevent pregnancy without the pill would be to double the methods you use. For example using a condom and spermicidal foam both aviable from the local drug store. Your girl friend may want to look into IUD's or a diaphram. Neither are a 100% effective contreception but if you use them with a comdom then you would have to have sperm of steel to get through all the barriers. Good luck and have fun.

IUD's?

Snorider said:

if you use them right, like squeezing the air out of the tip and stuff, they are 98% effective i think is the number. if you use them right, they shouldn't break and you should be safe.

But shit happens sometimes.

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Condoms are NOT that effective. "perfect use" outside of a lab setting is virtually impossible. Always go with the "imperfect use" numbers...which are closer to 89% or something like that. Please don't be misled.

thanks for all the tips so far everyone, greatly appreciated!!!

IUD's

Intra Uterine Devices

condoms are very safe if used right way.
There are only few fertile days of a woman in the middle of her period.
Take your gf's temperature each morning. Write it down, make a chart. You know that way?

Re: IUD's

Texan Missy Jean said:

Intra Uterine Devices

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Do you know what is involved (time-frame), cost involved, and whether most insurance plans cover this procedure?

I'm quite interested in this....

Thanks!

IUD's are very safe too

This thread reminds me of a joke told to me by a priest of all people!

"What do you call a girl that relies on the rythym method?"

"MOTHERS!"

Bobmi357 said:

This thread reminds me of a joke told to me by a priest of all people!

"What do you call a girl that relies on the rythym method?"

"MOTHERS!"

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LOLOLOLOL
good joke

Re: Re: IUD's

Italian Goddess said:

Do you know what is involved (time-frame), cost involved, and whether most insurance plans cover this procedure?

I'm quite interested in this....

Thanks!

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Time frame wise just over a month for me as you have to have a couple of swabs taken from the cervix to ensure there are no infections and then they like to insert it just after a period so that the cervix is slightly open.

Cost involved as I am in the UK it was free to me but I can't advise you as your in America.

condoms are very good. however, if shit happens (as it did to me), there is always the emergency contraception pill (morning after pill). it shouldnt be used too often, but it is there.

AvaAdore said:

condoms are very good. however, if shit happens (as it did to me), there is always the emergency contraception pill (morning after pill). it shouldnt be used too often, but it is there.

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I hate condoms. IUDs are nice

Re: IUD's

Italian Goddess said:

I'm quite interested in this....

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IUDs are fabulous in the sense that they give an amazing amount of sexual freedom to couples without the hassle or side effects of the Pill. IUDs are not a silver bullet. Like the pill, they do nothing to prevent STDs. There's a lot of information to be had on the web. http://www.ppcentwa.org/fact/bcm/iud.html for example.

I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, but the fine print in the literature actually means something, as my wife and I found out to our surprise. The words 'very effective' and 8 out of 1000 mean nothing when you're looking at a positive p-test.

An IUD does not truly prevent fertilization of eggs. I've read that it slows sperm down, but it really makes the environment in the womb very 'hostile' for the fertilized egg when it is released from the tubes. In most cases this prevents it from attaching to the womb. Most is not all, as my wife and I discovered. Once in a while you get an egg that's bound and determined to attach itself in spite of the IUD. When that happens, all bets are off. It is possible to have a normal pregnancy, but the chances of an ectopic (in the tubes) pregnancy go up. Ectopic pregnancy can be life threatening to the mother, and usually requires an operation to remove the egg.

Most Dr's remove the IUD the moment that pregnancy is confirmed, which increases the likelyhood of having a miscarriage. Our Dr told us that she had seen babies delivered with IUD's stuck to the side of their bodies.

There isn't much data regarding birth defects, but in our case some sort of genetic misfire killed the fetus early on and we wound up with a blighted ovum (an empty sac). The translation is several ultrasounds and eventually my wife wound up having her uterus 'scraped' to remove the empty sac due to related risks.

Add the extra cramping from the IUD and we give it two thumbs down.

I agree with pplwatching. The only time I've ever encountered a couple who got pregnant while using a form of birth control was when an IUD was in place. They can be effective, but if pregnancy does occur, it can be a couple's worse nightmare. My friend's IUD had virtually crumpled into a small ball at the top of the uterus. The problems? One, the potential of having the fetus developed around the IUD. Two, aborting the fetus when the IUD was removed. They had to go to several doctors before they found one even willing to take on the job of attempting to remove the IUD while keeping the fetus attached. The operation was a success, however, my friend had to live for months with the possibility of a miscarriage.

And yeah, if a woman already has heavy flow or painful cramping, an IUD might make it worse. This was one of the first methods of birth control that I ruled out!

As for a condom, I would suggest using it with something else: spermicidal jelly/foam or another barrier method. Diaphrams can be extremely messy and take some practice, but when used with a condom can be very effective.

well since I just gave birth to my daughter on Weds. I can assure you that " shit " does in fact happen! Hubby and I were relying on condoms as a form of protection and we ended up with quite a suprise.
Sorry, but unless you keep the lil horse in the barn so to speak there is always a chance you'll come up pregnant. My best advice is to always back a condom up with foam just to be safe!

N8Dreams said:

I hate condoms. IUDs are nice

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I believe i was on a different thread where you stated that. anyway,

the iud has caused problems with infections in the past, i cant remember statistics, but i will try to find a link to some information along these lines. I dont know if they have fixed the problems that were arising from this method but i will do some research into it.

www.babycenter.com/refcap/baby/postpartumsex/3564.html

lets see if that one shows up, seems to be very informative at least

IUDs

While IUDs are extremely common outside the U.S., most doctors in the U.S. will not insert one unless a woman has already had children.

Re: IUDs

dollface007 said:

While IUDs are extremely common outside the U.S., most doctors in the U.S. will not insert one unless a woman has already had children.

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True, and although some people have had problems of varying sorts with IUDs, I have had nothing but success after a long string of failures/problems with other methods.

For example, I currently have the Mirena IUD in, which is a plastic one (not copper, allergic to it when inside my body) that has a dose of Depo-Provera included. It's a five-year time release thing. Now, here's the great thing about that for me: I used to get the Depo shot. OW in the first place, then made me physically flu-like ill for a week after, then I gained more weight than really necessary already being... big. Mood swings from hell, doubled the depression, the list goes on and on. However, I kept on it for over a year to see if the side effects would go away. Some lessened, but that was it. So I quit while I went to basic training for the Army since I knew I wouldn't need it there.

I've been on the Pill and hate it for close to the same reasons but with an added yuck factor -- I hate taking pills every day and it's hard enough to remember my anti-depressant now.

Used condoms before, didn't much mind them before but I really hate them being married. Personal preference, really.

While I was pregnant with my son, Mirena came out and started to get a little publicity. I read all the large and fine print, talked it over with my doctor for the span of a few months, (I miss her!!!) debated pros and cons of various methods including diaphragms and whatnot. We decided on the one I have now because it has such a dose of Depo that the medication/chemical and the effects/side effects of the medication/chemical hardly extend past the walls of the uterus as it doesn't get into my bloodstream. As a result, my previously horrendous periods and cramping are nonexistent. My weight, although higher than I would prefer, is not affected by it. My moods are better and I am not worse off because of it. Good thing, or I would have killed myself 15 months ago when my son was two months old. I am very pleased with the results I have gotten with my IUD. Yes, there are risks that we take, but that is done with any form of 'birth control'.

If the two of you are certain you wish to have a sexually active life with each other, then I would seriously encourage you both to see her doctor with an open mind and one simple question;

What form of protection would be ideal for us and our situation?

Think about the things you don't like about condoms or the pill. Ask about cost. Talk about the ability to be spontaneous. Consider all of the things that turn you off or on about various kinds of protection. Go to the doctor as a couple, an informed couple. It shows that both of you care enough to think this through and plan for your future.

My $.02, and I probably owe interest.

Ang

why did she go off the pill? there are many other hormone forms of birth controll that act in the same way but may not have the same side effects. I tried several pills before I found one that worked for me. The thing with condoms, diaphrams, spermicides...they wont work if you dont use them right. And its easy not to...especially in the heat of the moment. DONT rely on condoms alone. Get her to a gynecologist and look into another method.