When should you start thinking about birth control? If you start having sex first and start thinking about birth control later, you could get pregnant by accident.
Do I want a baby?
If you decide to have sex, it's important to know whether you want to have a baby.
If you don’t want to get pregnant or get someone pregnant, you’ve got two options: don’t have sexual intercourse, or if you do, use birth control. It's also called contraception, or family planning.
Is there a difference between sexual intercourse and sex?
Yes.
Sexual intercourse, when a man puts his penis in a woman's vagina, is just one way to have sex. Sexual intercourse is basically the only way to get a woman pregnant. Oral sex and anal sex are also ‘sex’, but they won't get a woman pregnant. You can only get pregnant without having sexual intercourse if sperm accidentally gets into the vagina.
You can get pregnant if:
- It’s your first time having intercourse
- You have intercourse before you’ve started your periods
- You’ve had intercourse during your period
- You forget to take your pill just once or forget to use condoms just once
- Your partner pulls out (withdraws) before he comes