Main Takeaways: 

• -        You can get pregnant if you have sex when you aren’t sober.

• -        Very few young people are infertile.

• -        You can get pregnant even if your partner masturbated before you had sex.

Last time we talked about specific sex acts that could lead to pregnancy—this time we’re talking the chance of pregnancy in various circumstances.

Can I get pregnant if I was drunk or high when we had sex?

Yes! Being drunk or high when you have sex has nothing to do with the biological chances of getting pregnant. Since being drunk or high probably makes you or your partner less likely to remember to use that condom or take that birth control pill, it may increase the chance of a pregnancy.

Can I get pregnant if we’ve been having sex without birth control and haven’t gotten pregnant yet? Maybe I’m infertile.

About 1 in 6 young people believe that they may never be able to get pregnant or get a partner pregnant. In reality, very few young people are truly unable to get pregnant or cause a pregnancy. Having sex without birth control and not getting pregnant means you got lucky. You may get lucky multiple times, but that doesn’t mean you’re infertile.

Can I get pregnant if I had an STI when we had sex?

Having a sexually transmitted infection (STI) like chlamydia, gonorrhea, or trichomoniasis does not change the chances of pregnancy. Sperm still swim just fine, and having an infection doesn’t change the health of an egg.

Can I get pregnant if my partner masturbated before we had sex?

Absolutely. This myth is rooted in the fact it takes time for the testes to make new sperm. But studies have shown that the number of sperm in ejaculate don’t change much, even after masturbating multiple times each day for a week.

Can I get pregnant if I just stopped using a hormonal method like the pill (or patch, or ring, or IUD, or implant…)? Doesn’t my body need to readjust first?

When you stop using most hormonal methods of birth control, you can get pregnant right away (which is why you have to take the pill every day for it to be effective). It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been using the method. If you stop using birth control altogether, whether you were using hormonal or non-hormonal birth control, your chances of getting pregnant go back to whatever level of fertility is normal for you.

There is one exception. If you’re using the shot, which is designed to last for three months, it may take up to 10 months to get pregnant after the last shot (7 months after the shot is designed to wear off).

Had unprotected sex and now you’re worried? If it’s been less than 5 days since you had unprotected sex, you may want to consider emergency contraception.