Sex - fact and fiction
myth: "you can't get pregnant the first time you do it."
reality: it doesn't matter if it's your first time or your 51st time, if you have sex without using contraception, you can get pregnant.
Myth: "if you only do it once, you won't catch anything."
reality: even if you have unprotected sex just once, you could become infected with a sexually transmitted infection (sti), even hiv. So always use a condom (male or female version).
Myth: "if you've got your period, you can't get pregnant."
reality: although most women don't ovulate during their period, some women do. And even if you ovulate up to a week after unprotected sex, you could still get pregnant as sperm can live inside your body for as long as seven days. A woman's cycle is very unpredictable so you must use contraception every time you have sex.
Myth: "you can't get pregnant if the guy withdraws before he comes."
reality: even if the guy successfully withdraws before he comes (which doesn't always happen!), a girl can become pregnant (and catch a sti) from fluid which leaks from the penis before ejaculation.
Myth: "if you do it standing up, you can't get pregnant."
reality: it doesn't matter where you do it, if you don't use contraception when you have sex, you can get pregnant. So that means you have to be careful whether you're doing it standing up, sitting down, lying down, in the bath.