pregnancy

You can get pregnant from "dry humping". Wait. WHAT?

There are some very strange, albeit rare ways, in which you can fall pregnant. I’ve known this my entire life, way before we broke the news this week about the woman who fell pregnant as a result of anal sex.

My education about the strange ways in which we can become pregnant began in high school, courtesy of a religion teacher who was tasked with teaching us all about the birds and the bees.

“A woman once fell pregnant by having a bath after her husband had used the bath,” he said, explaining that a man had drawn himself a bath, masturbated, drained the bath and then his wife had filled the bath up for herself, without giving it a thorough rinsing, and managed to fall pregnant.

I have no idea if the story is true but he taught science as well as religion so I believed him. And since reading the anal sex story (how amazing was that?) I feel even more certain that it is true.

Maybe he was trying to highlight the fact that even the most innocent of actions could lead to teen pregnancy and we should probably avoid all physical contact with the opposite sex, just in case?

And sex. We should definitely avoid sex.

You can fall pregnant in some very unusual ways. Image: Knocked Up, Universal Pictures
ADVERTISEMENT

And they are just the beginning of the unusual falling pregnant stories:

You can fall pregnant while you are already pregnant.

This is called "superfetation" and it happens when a pregnant woman releases an egg a few weeks into her pregnancy. The second egg is fertilised and then the mum carries two babies, but they weren't conceived at the same time. Pregnancy hormones are meant to shut this possibility down but that doesn't always occur.

"Pregnancy hormones usually shut down a woman's system, making it impossible for her to ovulate during her pregnancy," says Connie Hedmark, an obstetrician at Marquette General Hospital in Michigan told Baby Centre. "This is why superfetation is so remarkable."

ADVERTISEMENT

You can fall pregnant while you are breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding is thought to be a natural contraceptive but I have lost count of the number of times I have heard of women falling pregnant while breastfeeding. In fact, one out of my three children was conceived in this way. Not planned, but very much wanted.

"You can fall pregnant even within 2 weeks after birth and even when breastfeeding," confirms NQ Gynaeology. "Very important to use contraception even early on!"

The pregnancy questions you were too afraid to ask. Article continues after this video.

You can fall pregnant when you are on your period.

If you have an extremely short menstrual cycle you can fall pregnant during your period. This is more of a problem for those with irregular periods, which can happen as you get older.

"You can get pregnant on your period or any other time of the month," explains website What To Expect. "So unless you’re trying to conceive, it’s always smart to be vigilant about contraception (unless you like big surprises)."

ADVERTISEMENT

You can fall pregnant without any penetration whatsoever.

Naked dry-humping can result in pregnancy with absolutely no penetration. All that is required is some pre-ejaculate anywhere around the vicinity of the vulva.

"For example, if you're not wearing clothes and your partner ejaculates on your thighs, belly or other nearby areas of your vagina, you may be at risk of pregnancy, because the fluid can drip into your vagina," reports New Health Advisor. "Yet, if your partner ejaculates on your arms, hands, face, chest or anything remote, you are also safe from pregnancy."

Oral sex can result in pregnancy.

Boris Becker was one of the best tennis players in the world back in the day in the late eighties and early nineties, however he became more famous for having a "sexual encounter" with model Angela Ermakova in a broom cupboard at upmarket restaurant Nobu in London. The rumour was that they had oral sex and Ermakova inserted the semen after he had left, however that has never been confirmed however there was much media speculation at the time, including this from The Guardian.

"Becker is telling the media he didn't have sex with Angela at all. His lawyers allege that Angela targeted Becker, stealing his sperm and inseminating herself to have his baby. The plan, apparently involving the Russian Mafia, was to blackmail Becker over his "love child"."