To those who had an unexpected pregnancy - how did it happen?

Was it a malfunction of birth control (broken condom, pill not absorbed well bc of digestive issues, etc) or you just had unprotected sex and weren't careful enough to pull out on time?

Thanks

Wasn't careful...and I happened to be ovulating and like less than a week away from my period; pure foolishness thinking we were invincible....

Why do you ask?

Well we usually practise the pull-out method, and my husband is good at it, and during my period he doesn't pull out. It normally worked like a charm, we'd wait a full 24 hours after it started before we did anything. For whatever reason that one time my body decided to trick me, I was bleeding really steadily for a full day and then we had sex, and then it stopped. It was bizarre. Then sure enough a month later I find out I am pregnant.

Since then I've noticed once in a blue moon my body will do that, have a "Fake" day. I dunno if its trying to trick me again, or hormones triggered it, but I have learned my lesson. Pull-out every time, no exceptions anymore.

Wasn't careful...and I happened to be ovulating and like less than a week away from my period; pure foolishness thinking we were invincible....

 

Why do you ask?

Thank you! I ask bc I want to know what to look out for

Thank you! I ask bc I want to know what to look out for

Don't look out for anything. Just use real, scientifically verified birth control. Meaning condoms, birth control pills, or a doctor inserted device. The accidental creation of a living breathing human being you have to take care of for 18+ years is not something to take lightly.

Well we usually practise the pull-out method, and my husband is good at it, and during my period he doesn't pull out. It normally worked like a charm, we'd wait a full 24 hours after it started before we did anything. For whatever reason that one time my body decided to trick me, I was bleeding really steadily for a full day and then we had sex, and then it stopped. It was bizarre. Then sure enough a month later I find out I am pregnant.

Since then I've noticed once in a blue moon my body will do that, have a "Fake" day. I dunno if its trying to trick me again, or hormones triggered it, but I have learned my lesson. Pull-out every time, no exceptions anymore.

Wow you guys go this hard at it during period? I always thought you are still potentially fertile while on period...

Don't look out for anything. Just use real, scientifically verified birth control. Meaning condoms, birth control pills, or a doctor inserted device. The accidental creation of a living breathing human being you have to take care of for 18+ years is not something to take lightly.

I agree. All one needs to do is be responsible and take all precautions necessary. (I understand that nothing is 100% safe). Taking risks is totally irresponsible and usually ends up in unwanted pregnancy.

Well we usually practise the pull-out method, and my husband is good at it, and during my period he doesn't pull out. It normally worked like a charm, we'd wait a full 24 hours after it started before we did anything. For whatever reason that one time my body decided to trick me, I was bleeding really steadily for a full day and then we had sex, and then it stopped. It was bizarre. Then sure enough a month later I find out I am pregnant.

Since then I've noticed once in a blue moon my body will do that, have a "Fake" day. I dunno if its trying to trick me again, or hormones triggered it, but I have learned my lesson. Pull-out every time, no exceptions anymore.

pull out is as unsafe as anything!!! you can get pregnant from pre-cum, happened to me and my brother used the pull out method as well and i now have a very cute niece!

it is like playing with fire, if you don't want to get pregnant make sure you use more effective methods...

Yes I suppose for the super fertile you could still get pregnant, however once that egg ships off detaches and is on its way out, its pretty hard for it to get fertilized and re-attach before its gone. I guess thats why some people practise that method where they only have sex during certain times of the month, when there is no egg to fertilize or its not able to be fertilized. However some people are extremely fertile and will get pregnant no matter when.

I however have only one functional ovary, and my husband only has one functional testical. We have practised this pull out method for over 8 years now, and had that one accident about a year into our relationship, since then we no longer allow "freebie days" as he puts it, its all pull-out now.

I'm not advocating going without protection, however for myself personally this method works well for us.

Don't look out for anything. Just use real, scientifically verified birth control. Meaning condoms, birth control pills, or a doctor inserted device. The accidental creation of a living breathing human being you have to take care of for 18+ years is not something to take lightly.

This, this, and more this.

Most people who have unexpected pregnancies were not careful or weren't using good birth control. All you can do is fine a very effective, scientific method of BC that works for you. I can't be on the pill anymore so I opted for an IUD and I am happy with it. You can use the Pill, IUD, hormonal implants, or 3+ methods of "barrier" methods at once...for example, using a condom, spermicide, AND a cervical cap.

I'm not advocating going without protection, however for myself personally this method works well for us.

With all due respect, I'm not sure how you can claim this considering that you got pregnant while using this method.

Yes, I did. And it was my own fault for getting caught up "in the moment" and deciding that because I was on my period I couldn't get pregnant. Also that I'd been told I was no longer fertile some years before when my ex-husband and I had two boys and decided we'd try for a girl and I didn't get pregnant again. Oh man was I wrong. wrong.wrong.wrong.wrong. I chose to have the baby, because by then I'd been a single mother for awhile and I had enough income and support to go ahead and raise him on my own. The father was taken out of the picture very early on when he was killed in an accident.

I learned my lesson on that one. After talking to my gynecologist I found out there are all sort of misconceptions and falsehoods that I had accepted as truths, but as others on here say nothing takes the place of good, old workable birth control in the form of pills, condoms and/or an internal device. I don't consider the Rythm method to be a reliable method of birth control, because too many things can throw a woman's cycle off plus you would be astonished at how long sperm can live inside of you just waiting for the chance to score that final touchdown so to speak. Remember, our bodies were made to make babies so yes it's easy.

Don't look out for anything. Just use real, scientifically verified birth control. Meaning condoms, birth control pills, or a doctor inserted device. The accidental creation of a living breathing human being you have to take care of for 18+ years is not something to take lightly.

I do realize and I am finally at a point of my life when I am starting to plan a family. We want to start trying next year so I want to know if I can loosen up the safe sex policy a bit, just bc getting knocked up now wouldn't be a tragedy. But still I wanna be safe enough to stay on schedule.

I do realize and I am finally at a point of my life when I am starting to plan a family. We want to start trying next year so I want to know if I can loosen up the safe sex policy a bit, just bc getting knocked up now wouldn't be a tragedy. But still I wanna be safe enough to stay on schedule.

The fact that you don't mind getting knocked up is pretty key, no?

My ex had just changed forms of birth control and bam, she got pregnant. She had a daughter from a prior relationship and at the time wasn't thinking about another child. At the time I had no desire to have children. Years later I cannot imagine my life without her and I'm so thankful for that unplanned event, she's my world and the most amazing little person I've ever met (but of course I'm a bit biased).

That said, I did get a vasectomy shortly after her birth.

My mom got accidentally pregnant - 3 times! - while using an IUD and condoms. She is super fertile.

My mom got accidentally pregnant - 3 times! - while using an IUD and condoms. She is super fertile.

3 times?

Yeah, I don't believe it. Sorry, I don't. I doubt she had an IUD at all. It's actually something that's very easy to lie about.

I've heard a similar story from one woman who got pregnant TWICE while using IUD, condoms, the pill (who would put her on both the pill AND an IUD? lol), and spermicide. Yeah, right, I didn't believe her at all.

No method of bc is 100% effective. I know it's gotten better over the years but my mom's mom (so 60 years ago) got pregnant 4 times while on birth control. I don't what form but she had her oldest child intentionally (my mom) then over a 6 year period had 4 more unplanned pregnancies while using some kind of BC before finally getting her tubes tied which put that worry to rest.

No method of bc is 100% effective. I know it's gotten better over the years but my mom's mom (so 60 years ago) got pregnant 4 times while on birth control. I don't what form but she had her oldest child intentionally (my mom) then over a 6 year period had 4 more unplanned pregnancies while using some kind of BC before finally getting her tubes tied which put that worry to rest.

Birth control pills from that long ago were not as good today because they were progesterone only and so you had to take it every single day at the exact same time RELIGIOUSLY or else you would get pregnant. So yeah, I can understand how someone would get pregnant on that, if that's what she used.

Women misuse BC pills very often. It's called "oopsy" pregnancies. Some of them stem from genuine mistakes (antibiotics), genuine negligence, or maliciousness.

I'm just getting pretty sick of hearing of all these pregnancies that sound, at least from a statistical standpoint, very unlikely to be entirely accidental, and then have all of those examples lumped in with "Well BC isn't 100%!!!"

Yeah, well an IUD (a true one, not a feigned one) is 99.99%. And a Pill would be close to that if women could just remember to take them properly...

Yup, 4 times accidentily on purpose. We were not trying but not preventing either. I haven't used bc in 25 years.

3 times?

 

Yeah, I don't believe it. Sorry, I don't. I doubt she had an IUD at all. It's actually something that's very easy to lie about.

 

I've heard a similar story from one woman who got pregnant TWICE while using IUD, condoms, the pill (who would put her on both the pill AND an IUD? lol), and spermicide. Yeah, right, I didn't believe her at all.

I don't think many women would lie about accidentally getting pregnant, or lie about using an IUD when they had no intentions of having children..

She had 5 kids. Not sure why she would lie about 3 of them being accidents. She's 65 years old now. She got pregnant the first time when she was 17. Birth control (all forms) was not as reliable back then as it is today.

I don't think many women would lie about accidentally getting pregnant, or lie about using an IUD when they had no intentions of having children..

 

She had 5 kids. Not sure why she would lie about 3 of them being accidents. She's 65 years old now. She got pregnant the first time when she was 17. Birth control (all forms) was not as reliable back then as it is today.

People lie because it seems more responsible to say you used all these methods than admitting that you were careless.

Also, it's highly unlikely that a 17-year-old had an IUD put in (if that's what she's claiming). And no offense, but having your first pregnancy at 17 doesn't resound with "being super careful".

The IUD is stronger protection than birth control pills (and very reliable even then, the copper IUD was used and still is), and if a condom is used properly and doesn't tear, it's extremely effective, too. VERY doubtful that the combo failed her.

Never happened to me because I was exceedingly diligent (and educated) about birth control.

the people I know it has happened to have fallen into these categories:

Careless about pill taking as directed (missing pills and thinking it would be ok to 'just' miss one or two or not following directions on when to start them).

Alcohol! Getting drunk and lowered inhibitions/judgment and ignoring/forgetting birth control when drunk

Accidentally on purpose. Man was not committing to marriage or relationship rocky so they mistakenly assumed a baby would fix it (always ended badly).

Ignoring interactions/warnings about mixing certain medications with birth control pills (antibiotics) where you need to use other birth control methods when taking that medication. Read all the cautions when starting a new medication!

Winging it.. as in 'just this once won't hurt'

Uneducated as to how the methods work (not understanding timing of when one can get pregnant, which is basically any time because the body's ovulation and length of time sperm can stay alive vary).

Using rhythm or withdrawal methods.

There's an old joke that goes, what do they call people who use rhythm and pull-out methods for birth control? Answer: parents!

btw, I've known many women who were whining mightily that it was an 'accident', at the same time they were very anxious to marry and have children and tie a recalcitrant man down in marriage or if the relationship was going badly and the man looked like he might sneak away... Or in cases where the man didn't want children (or didn't want more children) and the woman really did and just took matters in her own hands thinking the man would be OK with it once they had the baby. In every case I know, the man was NOT OK with it and it always ended badly in deep resentments and in divorce or breakups eventually, even if not immediately because the man's hand was forced into being a parent or attached to a woman they didn't want to marry or procreate with.

The woman is not going to admit that she just selfishly and unilaterally made that decision. Accidental pregnancies do happen but the only true accident I consider is a broken condom since it today's world it is very easy to educate yourself and be diligent to avoid it by understanding the various ways one can get pregnant and taking steps to never allow yourself to fall into those categories.

People lie because it seems more responsible to say you used all these methods than admitting that you were careless.

 

Also, it's highly unlikely that a 17-year-old had an IUD put in (if that's what she's claiming). And no offense, but having your first pregnancy at 17 doesn't resound with "being super careful".

 

The IUD is stronger protection than birth control pills (and very reliable even then, the copper IUD was used and still is), and if a condom is used properly and doesn't tear, it's extremely effective, too. VERY doubtful that the combo failed her.

My post never said she had an IUD when she was 17 or that she was using both at the same time. I said she got pregnant using an IUD and condoms. She used condoms when she was younger, and when she got pregnant twice using those (most likely because her and my dad used them wrong since they were so young), she decided to get an IUD when she was older. I know she is super fertile because her and my dad got tested after they had me because they were having trouble having another kid, and it turns out my dad was having issues. I'm sure her high fertility didn't help the fact that they were using protection incorrectly.

There are lots of reasons people get pregnant by accident. I never said my mom used protection 100% correctly. There's a VERY good chance she used them wrong. Not sure why people jump to the conclusion of "Your mom is lying!!!!!" More than likely, she used the protection incorrectly. Maybe there was a hole in the condom, maybe he put it on in the middle of the act and there was pre-ejaculate, maybe the IUD was no longer good since they only last 7-12 years. There's a million reasons.. Seems very odd to me that we feel the need to go around calling people's mom's liars. But to each their own.

I never had an accidental pregnancy and when I was sure I did not want to get pregnant I used pill plus condom. It is possible that I had a chemical pregnancy because there were times I was very late despite using double protection (or had other weird symptoms) so I don't want to rule out that protection can fail. There were situations where my boyfriend and I were on board with using one form of protection only and the boyfriend was totally on board with what we planned to do if I got pregnant as a result (have the child and get married). Despite desperately wanting a baby at times in my 30s especially I never, ever took risks with protection. I also avoided dating men who would have wanted me to abort if I got pregnant.