http://kinseyconfidential.org Just another WordPress weblog Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:00:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 2006-2007 aschweig@indiana.edu (Kinsey Confidential) aschweig@indiana.edu (Kinsey Confidential) posts 1440 Just another WordPress weblog Kinsey Confidential Kinsey Confidential aschweig@indiana.edu No no http://kinseyconfidential.org/wp-content/themes/kinsey/images/kinsey-podcast-300.jpg http://kinseyconfidential.org 144 144 http://kinseyconfidential.org/pregnancy-risk-during-period/ http://kinseyconfidential.org/pregnancy-risk-during-period/#comments Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:00:01 +0000 Dr. Debby Herbenick (M.P.H., Ph.D.) http://www.kinseyconfidential.org/2008/06/02/qa-can-i-get-pregnant-while-im-on-my-period/ http://kinseyconfidential.org/pregnancy-risk-during-period/feed/ 0 2:38 Generally speaking, a woman is unlikely to become pregnant while she is having her period. However, that does not mean that it is impossible to ... Generally speaking, a woman is unlikely to become pregnant while she is having her period. However, that does not mean that it is impossible to become pregnant when one is having menstrual bleeding. Pregnancy Unlikely The reason that it is unlikely to become pregnant during a womanrsquo;s menstrual period is because a pregnancy cannot occur if there is not an egg and some sperm to begin with. Each month, most women release one egg ndash; also called an ovum - during a process call ovulation. An egg typically lives for about 24 hours or less. Then, approximately 14 days after ovulation, a woman typically begins her menstrual period, meaning that she likely does not have any living eggs that have been released at that time. Irregular or Short Cycles At least not in theory. Sometimes women release more than one egg per month. More often, womenrsquo;s cycles may be irregular or short. Also, sperm live longer than eggs do ndash; some estimates suggest that sperm may live as long as 3 or 5 days. Some suggest that sperm may occasionally live in a womanrsquo;s body for as long as a week. In any case, if a man ejaculates inside a womanrsquo;s vagina while she is on her period, and then she ovulates days later, or even a week later, it is possible that by the time she ovulates, sperm may still be alive in her body and able to fertilize her egg. Likely? No. Possible? Yes. Again, is it likely that a woman will become pregnant while she is menstruating? No. But is it possible? Absolutely. Our Kinsey Confidential web site provides more information about reliable forms of birth control to assist you in decisions related to family planning and safer sex. Content,Type,,Podcast,,Pregnancy aschweig@indiana.edu no No http://kinseyconfidential.org/menopause-having-unprotected-sex/ http://kinseyconfidential.org/menopause-having-unprotected-sex/#comments Mon, 05 May 2008 15:30:52 +0000 Dr. Debby Herbenick (M.P.H., Ph.D.) http://www.kinseyconfidential.org/blog/2008/05/05/qa-menopause-and-unprotected-sex/ http://kinseyconfidential.org/menopause-having-unprotected-sex/feed/ 0 3:15 Thanks for your question. Though Kinsey Confidential started out as a service for college students, we do often get questions from women and men who ... Thanks for your question. Though Kinsey Confidential started out as a service for college students, we do often get questions from women and men who are out of the typical college age range. And we welcome them! (submit yours here) Menopause Menopause is a gradual process for women, and as such many women and their partners wonder when a woman can no longer be expected to have periods and is thus no longer able to become pregnant. Generally speaking, a woman is considered to have reached menopause when she has gone for a full year without having any periods at all. Women may go for years having periods only now or then, but that is a time that we call perimenopause ndash; or the time that is around and leading up to menopause. Even if a woman goes for a full year without having a period, she should check in with her healthcare provider who can perform tests to look at her hormone levels. All that said, this only addresses the issue of when a woman is likely done with periods, and thus not likely to become pregnant. That is not necessarily the same as when it is safe to have unprotected sex again. Having Unprotected Sex The decision to have unprotected sex ndash; by which I assume you mean, to stop using condoms or other forms of birth control ndash; depends on each of your comfort level, as well as whether you or she have other health considerations. For example, some women use hormonal contraception for reasons other than preventing pregnancy. And if either of you have other sexual partners, then that is an important consideration too. Talk To Your Wife As such, how will you know when itrsquo;s safe to have unprotected sex again? By talking with your wife about not only her periods, but about your and her feelings related to your experience of sexuality, and your individual concerns and expectations for sex. For some women, menopause brings a range of symptoms that may be best addressed with onersquo;s healthcare provider. Sexual desire may decline with menopause for some women, whereas others find that their desire increases as they no longer worry about becoming pregnant when they donrsquo;t want to become pregnant. Learn More To learn more about sex and aging, you might find the book Better Than I Ever Expected by Joan Price to be of interest. Content,Type,,Podcast,,Pregnancy aschweig@indiana.edu no No http://kinseyconfidential.org/sex-twenty-seconds-pregnancy/ http://kinseyconfidential.org/sex-twenty-seconds-pregnancy/#comments Mon, 21 Apr 2008 14:00:21 +0000 Dr. Debby Herbenick (M.P.H., Ph.D.) http://www.kinseyconfidential.org/blog/2008/04/21/qa-sex-for-only-twenty-seconds/ Subscribe to the Podcast]]> http://kinseyconfidential.org/sex-twenty-seconds-pregnancy/feed/ 0 3:27 Here at Kinsey Confidential, we get quite a lot of questions about pregnancy. And no wonder ndash; though most women and men want to be ... Here at Kinsey Confidential, we get quite a lot of questions about pregnancy. And no wonder ndash; though most women and men want to be parents at some point in their lives, most of them also want to be able to plan to become pregnant when they are ready to, and to plan not to become pregnant when they donrsquo;t want to become pregnant. Time Doesn't Matter As for your question about having sex with your girlfriend without using a condom, it doesnrsquo;t matter how short or how long the sex lasted. If your penis was inside your girlfriendrsquo;s vagina without a condom, then there is the risk of pregnancy. That said, if you did not ejaculate, and the only fluid from your penis that got inside her vagina was pre-ejaculate (the thin fluid that some men notice coming from their penis when they are sexually aroused) then the risk of pregnancy would be very low. However, is this a risk that you or your girlfriend wants to take? Pregnancy Risk On the other hand, if you ejaculated inside your girlfriend ndash; even just a little bit ndash; that certainly increases the risk of pregnancy. In order for a pregnancy to occur, there needs to be an egg and some sperm, and then the sperm need to fertilize the egg, and then the fertilized egg needs to implant itself ndash; and stay implanted in ndash; the womanrsquo;s uterus. If your girlfriend was not ovulating at the time, then there would be no egg. But most couples rarely track a womanrsquo;s ovulation, and also ovulation timing can vary considerably, especially among young women. Talk About Your Relationship If you and your girlfriend do not want to become pregnant, we would highly recommend that the two of you talk about your sexual relationship. How do you both feel about being sexually active together? Is this something that you both want and feel comfortable with? What expectations do you have for being sexual together, in terms of being exclusive, or seeing other people, or whether you see this is a serious, ongoing relationship or something that feels right only for right now, as with many friends with benefits relationships? STIs and Birth Control It is also crucial that you two discuss your feelings around sexually transmissible infections ndash; which we call STIs - and birth control. You two have already had intercourse, even if just briefly. Have you talked about your histories of being tested or treated for any STIs? How would you feel about going together to get tested? What about your feelings about birth control and how, if you continue to be sexually active together, you might take responsibility for preventing pregnancy? These are conversations that we would encourage for you to have together, and possibly with a healthcare provider, so that you can make informed, healthy decisions that help you both to feel good about your relationship. Content,Type,,Podcast,,Pregnancy aschweig@indiana.edu no No http://kinseyconfidential.org/condom-use-pregnancy-risk/ http://kinseyconfidential.org/condom-use-pregnancy-risk/#comments Wed, 29 Nov 2006 18:11:21 +0000 Kinsey Confidential http://www.kinseyconfidential.org/blog/2006/11/29/qa-can-you-get-pregnant-even-if-youre-using-a-condom-during-sex/ http://kinseyconfidential.org/condom-use-pregnancy-risk/feed/ 0