Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask how people 'accidentally' get pregnant?

448 replies

Butterflyone12e · 31/10/2019 16:15

I honestly do wonder how people say they fell pregnant by accident. Of course I can understand the horrific situation if sexual abuse/rape was involved but do people honestly fall accidentally pregnant?

I'm 33 years of age and have never fallen pregnant because I've not wanted to fall pregnant.

I wondered what peoples stories are. I really disagree with terminations (again unless medial or abuse).

OP posts:
CAG12 · 31/10/2019 16:40

Im not sure why youve included your opinion on terminations. Not understanding why people accidentally fall pregnant and terminations are two different discussions? Or are you assuming that because people fall pregnant without planning, the baby isnt wanted to they terminate?

Come on. Put an ounce of thought into your original question and im sure you'll come up with an answer.

museumum · 31/10/2019 16:40

I used a condim, it came off in the process, I then took the map, it didn’t work. I was 21 and I guess height of fertility.

SuitedandBooted · 31/10/2019 16:41

There are obviously contraception failures. But I do think that for some people "unplanned" means "I didn't really want to get pregnant" (but still had unprotected sex anyway)". It's more a lack of action rather than a delibrate choice.

museumum · 31/10/2019 16:41

I also got pregnant first deliberate try at 36. Some people just do.

Original poster
Butterflyone12e · 31/10/2019 16:41

Some good replies thank you. I have the coil fitted too so I'm surprised how many people have fallen pregnant with this in.

OP posts:
DrSeuss · 31/10/2019 16:42

As I din into my students every time I teach this, the only failsafe contraception is the word NO! The Pill, if taken correctly, has a 99.8% success rate. As i tell my students, that means two in a thousand that it just doesn't work for, no matter how careful they are, and someone has to be the 2.

AlunWynsKnee · 31/10/2019 16:42

Even when used properly, contraception has a failure rate. So if 100 women take the pill properly, it's statistically likely that 1 will get pregnant.

Teateaandmoretea · 31/10/2019 16:42

I wondered what peoples stories are. I really disagree with terminations (again unless medial or abuse).

Why did you add this on the end? It moved your post from being slightly ridiculous to frankly stupid.

Yep, let's disagree abortions for women who have dared to want to have sex but not have a baby. Because this affects women not people as a whole men can just walk away. Let's make women go through pregnancies and births against their will to have babies they don't want/ can't afford to have. Fabbio. Thankfully most real adults have more sense apart from in daily mail comments where they are lambasted for having children they can't afford to keep....

And it's still half term in some places isn't it? Wink

twofingerstoEverything · 31/10/2019 16:42

I really disagree with terminations (again unless medial or abuse).

When I read stuff like this, I imagine the writer would probably love to be on some kind of panel judging which woman 'deserves' to terminate an unwanted pregnancy and which woman should be forced to give birth. Hmm

Aquamarine1029 · 31/10/2019 16:43

I'm 33 years of age and have never fallen pregnant because I've not wanted to fall pregnant.

Congratulations?

Stuffedcrust55 · 31/10/2019 16:43

I get your question OP. I had one accidental pregnancy aged 16. I hadn't used contraception and I dont think I knew morning after medication was available. Totally me and boyfriends fault. I still regret that.

I've had plenty of fertile sex in 30 years since then and never gotten pregnant accidentally.

Alot of accidental pregnancies, judging by the tales from people are know, are human error. But maybe people just dont like to admit it or talk about it. There seem to alot of people on MN with failed contraception so maybe it's not the place to find the human error tales.

YouJustDoYou · 31/10/2019 16:43

Sickness, take it slightly late, medication, that several percentage of normal failure rate? In my mum's care, the nurses didn't insert her coil properly, and my sibling is the result. But let's demonise evil women who "fall pregnant", why don't we.

Leflic · 31/10/2019 16:44

It’s called an accident because it’s not on purpose.

Stuffedcrust55 · 31/10/2019 16:44

I know not are know - fat fingers on my phone sorry.

Moreisnnogedag · 31/10/2019 16:45

@Pretzelcoatl Grin

lynsey91 · 31/10/2019 16:46

I always wonder too. I know no contraceptive is 100% reliable but even so there are so many "accidents".

Always reading on here about them. I know quite a few women in real life too. I can think of 4 neighbours who say at least 1 of their children were accidents.

I too have never had an accident as I made sure not to as me and DH decided not to have children.

swingofthings · 31/10/2019 16:46

Accident rate in real life: 0.3%

Accident rate on MN: 50%

RedSheep73 · 31/10/2019 16:47

I fell accidentally pregnant on the minipill, I forgot to take it one day on holiday and bingo. I was still bf #1 at the time and beginning to contemplate #2, so it wasn't a disaster, but I didn't go back on the minipill after having her, I got a mirena instead!

newnameagainagain · 31/10/2019 16:47

I'm with you op. I was on the pill for years if I even doubted it might work(antibiotics, sickness, missed pill, pill through the wash etc) I've used extra protection.

Due to various reasons DH and I used condoms for 10+ years if there was ever a hint of an issue with one I'd be straight to the pharmacy for the morning after.

I was so aware that sex=risk of pregnancy I and genuinely confused about how people get accidentally pregnant

WhenISnappedAndFarted · 31/10/2019 16:48

I've fallen pregnant whilst using condoms (hadn't noticed the condom split, I assume that's what happened). My DM fell pregnant twice whilst on the pill, she said she took it same time everyday, never missed a day and used condoms for a week if she'd been ill.

The morning after pill has also been known to fall, not often but has happened.

JacquesHammer · 31/10/2019 16:48

I really disagree with terminations

Cool don’t have one.

I was lucky, for 6 months I was taking a pill I shouldn’t have been taking, because my other medication rendered it way less effective. So it would have been GP error on my part.

MillicentMartha · 31/10/2019 16:49

The MAP only works before you ovulate in your cycle as it deters ovulation. If you have already ovulated and your condom splits or isn’t completely effective, too late.

www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/0b08c69f-fec8-4924-af56-19ada7b14646

Nonnymum · 31/10/2019 16:49

Sometimes contraception fails. I have known this happen to 2 people.

Househunt1 · 31/10/2019 16:49

Why are people not allowed an opinion on abortion?? If the OP doesn't agree with it then she should be allowed to say that, why is it ok for pp to say that abortion should then be allowed?

Anyway I've always wondered how people stop trying for a baby? If you want to get pregnant and have been trying and have had no luck then I get emotionally you may want to give up but I don't get how you can shut it out your mind because everytime I had sex I wouldn't be able to stop thinking about getting pregnant?

elizzza · 31/10/2019 16:50

If you’ve never been pregnant OP, do you even know that you can get pregnant? Maybe the fact you’ve never gotten pregnant is nothing to do with how clever and careful you clearly think you are.