I had sex with my girl for the first time. I didn’t use a condom but no ejaculation occurred. Afterwards, she took an emergency contraception pill just to be safe. What are the chances something could go wrong like pregnancy?

Thanks for your question. Whenever you have unprotected sex there is a chance that the pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection (STI) could happen. In your situation, you and your partner made a smart decision to use emergency contraception which reduced the risk of pregnancy by 89%. Here are more important facts to be aware of.

  •  Any time you have sex without using a condom, you run the risk of getting (or giving) a STI unless you and your partner have been tested and you know for sure that you are both STI free.
  • Even if ejaculation doesn’t happen, “precum or pre-ejaculate” can leak out of the penis. Pre-ejaculate fluid often contains sperm. It only takes one sperm to reach a woman’s egg to cause pregnancy.
  • It’s important to remember that emergency contraception (EC) doesn’t always work. It can be used within 5 days (120 hours) of unprotected intercourse but it is more effective the sooner it is taken. EC is not meant to be a regular form of birth control.
  • The best way to prevent pregnancy is to use a regular birth control method. While condoms lower your risk of getting or spreading most STIs and reducing the chance of pregnancy, with typical use they are only 82% effective. Talk to your partner about the benefit of having her take an effective birth control such as: an implant, an IUD or birth control pills.
  • The only way to be 100% sure that you won’t get an STI or get your partner pregnant is to not have sex.