Few subjects concerning biology have as many myths and old wives’ tales as pregnancy.  Sometimes they’re so numerous, it’s hard to separate truth from fiction. Which is why we’ve provided this guide.  Here, we’ll examine some of the most common myths and tell you the truth behind them.  For instance:

• It’s fiction to say that a woman cannot get pregnant if penetration only lasts for a few seconds. The truth is that if there is contact between the penis and the vaginal area, pregnancy is possible. Natural, the chance is not as high as it would be in full intercourse and ejaculation, but there is always that risk. Furthermore, there is also a slight chance that sexually transmitted diseases can be transmitted in this way.
• It’s fiction that “dry sex” cannot result in pregnancy (Dry sex refers to sex in which there is skin contact in the area around the genitals, and yet no penetration). The same principle applies here: If there is contact between the penis and the area of the vagina, there is a chance for pregnancy–and transmission of STDs.
• The idea that a woman cannot get pregnant as a result of pre-ejaculation is fiction. The truth is that, since this fluid (liquid which seeps from the man’s penis prior to ejaculation) carries sperm, it can lea to pregnancy. For this reason, practicing withdrawal of the penis is not always effective as a birth-control method.
• The belief that a woman can’t get pregnant without having an orgasm is a great fiction. Truth: an organism has no relationship to the availability of an egg for fertilization.
• Some people believe that sperm cannot make it through fabrics, and therefore think clothing is protection from pregnancy. That’s a partial-fiction. Truth: It is highly unlikely for pregnancy to result, but there is still a slight possibility that sperm could pass through the fabric, especially if it’s soaked with semen.
• It’s an outright fiction to believe that a woman can’t get pregnant if she and her partner have sex in the water. Water on the outside of the woman’s body does not interfere with the depositing of sperm into the vaginal area.
• Related to this is the belief that pregnancy cannot result if the man ejaculates in the water. We would have to call this one more truth than fiction. While it is probably scientifically possible for the sperm to travel through the woman and to the woman’s vaginal area, and remain intact, it’s a very, very remote chance of this happening. In most cases, the sperm would die before it reached the woman’s vagina.
• The other major fiction is the idea that pregnancy can never result from having anal sex. It’s true that the anal sex itself could not cause pregnancy, however, with the vagina so close to the anus, there is the very real possibility of sperm leaking into the vagina and thus causing pregnancy.

The lesson:  If you truly do not want to become pregnant, speak with a family-planning counselor and find out about the real ways of preventing pregnancy–and leave he old wives’ tales to old wives.