Health Info & Services

• How does pregnancy occur?
• How soon after I stop taking the Pill can I get pregnant?
• What are the signs of pregnancy?
• How do I find out if I am pregnant?
• Can I have my period and still be pregnant?
• How long can sperm survive outside of the human body?
• Can a woman get pregnant from anal sex?
• Can pregnancy be prevented if the woman jumps up and down or douches after sex?
• What are a woman's options if she is pregnant?
• What will happen to a woman's body when she's pregnant?
• What is delivering a baby like?

During ovulation, one of the woman's ovaries releases a tiny egg that begins to travel down her fallopian tube. During sexual intercourse, a man ejaculates millions of sperm that travel up the vagina, through the uterus and into the fallopian tube where the egg meets the sperm. When the egg and sperm fuse, it is called fertilization.

In a normal pregnancy, the fertilized egg travels down the fallopian tube. On about the third day of travel, the fertilized egg arrives in the woman's uterus. After two or three days in the uterus, the fertilized egg begins to implant in the uterine lining. Upon implantation, a pregnancy occurs. If the lining is rich enough with maternal blood, it will continue to grow there and will become an embryo, then a fetus. After approximately 38 weeks, the fetus is ready to be born.

You can get pregnant as quickly as three days after stopping birth control pills. The average time to return to regular menstrual cycles is 3 months, and the "average" time to pregnancy for couples trying to conceive, not counting accidental pregnancies due to missed pills, is six months.

Some common symptoms of pregnancy include:

• a missed period
• nausea
• inexplicable fatigue
• sore or enlarged breasts
• headaches
• frequent urination

Note: Many women, especially young women, have irregular periods. These irregularities may include missed periods and other changes in the menstrual cycle. These irregularities can happen from month to month. Although pregnancy is the most common reason for missing a period, irregularity is also caused by illness, travel, worry, or stress.

The only way to find out if you are pregnant for sure is a pregnancy test.

You need to take a pregnancy test to tell if you're pregnant. Many home pregnancy tests detect pregnancy by identifying the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) in urine 17 to 20 days after fertilization. Some of the newer home tests can detect pregnancy from a urine sample as early as a few days after a missed period. If you use a home pregnancy test you must follow directions carefully and correctly.

To be sure about the presence or absence of a pregnancy, it is best to visit a qualified family planning professional for a pregnancy test and pelvic exam.

If you are pregnant - whether or not you want to continue the pregnancy - you need to have medical care and counseling as soon as possible. Or call our toll-free help line at 1-866-600-6886.

No, it is not possible to have a period and be pregnant, but it is possible to be pregnant and have vaginal bleeding that may seem to be a period. But this is rare.

Sperm in the cervical mucus of a woman's vagina can survive for up to seven days. Without the cervical mucus to both nourish and protect the sperm, the sperm will die within one-half to four hours. Anyone who has touched semen should wash and dry - or at least wipe off - before touching the vulva or vagina.

A woman cannot get pregnant if a man ejaculates inside her anus because the anus does not lead to the vagina, uterus or fallopian tube. However, if during foreplay or after intercourse some semen gets into her vagina, sperm could swim up the vagina, through her uterus and into the fallopian tube, where the sperm could meet the egg. Because of the risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, it is important to use a condom with every act of anal, oral, and vaginal intercourse.

No. Neither jumping up and down nor douching after sex will prevent pregnancy. Neither one will effectively remove the sperm from the female body. In fact, douching may even push the sperm further into the woman's vagina or cervix, increasing the chances of becoming pregnant. The only proven method of preventing pregnancy after intercourse is the use of emergency contraception, which can be effective 75-89% of the time.

If you have had unprotected sex or your birth control method failed, call our toll-free help line immediately at 1-866-600-6886 to find out how you can get Emergency Contraception.

If a woman becomes pregnant, she has three options:

1. to continue the pregnancy and become a parent,
2. to continue the pregnancy and make the baby available for adoption, or
3. to have an abortion to end the pregnancy.

When making this decision, a woman must be sure she has information about all three options so she can choose what is best for her.

When a woman is pregnant, her body goes through many changes. It is very important for a woman to receive prenatal care throughout her pregnancy to monitor her health and the health of the fetus.

During the first trimester, a woman:

• will stop getting her period
• may feel nausea during the beginning of the pregnancy
• may have enlarged breasts
• may have to urinate frequently
• may be more tired than usual

During the second trimester, a woman:

• will usually begin "showing," which means that her abdomen has grown and people notice that she is pregnant
• will begin feeling fetal movements

During the third trimester, a woman:

• will notice her uterus and abdomen are much larger
• may experience weakness in her lower back since she is carrying extra weight
• may need to urinate more frequently as the fetus presses on her bladder
• may experience indigestion
• may feel the fetus change positions in order to prepare itself for birth.

A woman may also have varied emotions during pregnancy; many women feel a mixture of joy, depression, excitement and fear. All of this is perfectly normal.

Delivery, or giving birth, is a different experience for each woman. A woman will know she is going into labor when she begins to experience contractions. These pains are similar to menstrual cramps but much stronger in intensity.

Vaginal Delivery

If a woman has a vaginal birth, her cervix (the opening to her uterus) will become dilated, which means it opens up enough for a baby to pass through. The woman's health care provider will help her during the delivery and will provide support and can provide medication if the woman chooses.

Cesarean Delivery

If a woman is having a cesarean birth, an incision will be made in her abdomen and the doctor will remove the baby from her uterus. A cesarean section may be performed under general anesthesia, when the woman is asleep. It may also be performed under local anesthesia, when the woman is awake but her abdomen is numb. The health care provider will help the woman decide which kind of birth will be necessary for her.

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Adapted from PPFA (www.plannedparenthood.org) and Planned Parenthood Golden Gate (www.ppgg.org)