Aunt Vadge: I made him change the condom three times – can I still be pregnant?

Hey Aunt Vag,

I’m 16 and recently lost my virginity. My boyfriend used a condom and pulled out like 10 minutes before he finished. I was super anxious about getting preggo so I made him change the condom 3 times when we were having sex, I made him pull out super early and then in the end I made him do a water test on all 3 condoms which showed no sign of breakage.

I myself have always been an anxious person and I have a history of believing the worst case scenario will happen to me and it gets out of hand. Ever since I lost my virginity I am scared that I’m pregnant.

I was going to purchase the emergency pill however at the time my friends told me I didn’t have to since I used a condom and pull out method, so I didn’t buy the pill.

Well it’s been two weeks since I lost my virginity and I regret not getting the pill. I’m so so so anxious that I’m pregnant I can’t even explain to you how bad it is. My period is due in 2 days. I looked at the calendar several times. I’m so anxious. I don’t want to be pregnant. I’m super super super super super scared. Any advice? 🙁

Yours sincerely,
Freaking Out
Age: 16
Country: Australia
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Dear Freaking Out,

You are not pregnant! Relax! You have actually done yourself  a disservice by getting your boyfriend to change the condom, because you have inadvertently increased your chances of pregnancy by exposing possible pre-ejaculate fluid to your vagina in the process. That is, sperm from the inside of the old condom that could have somehow ended up on the outside of the new condom, by fingers or some other transfer method.

It’s also a waste of perfectly good condoms, which as you will learn, can start to get expensive!

Leave the condom on once it’s on! Condoms are very effective when they are put on properly, but they need to stay put until your partner is finished with his erection or has ejaculated. Then he can carefully remove it.

You are almost certainly not pregnant, but remember being overcautious can sometimes backfire.

You track your cycles, but in future you should be considering when you ovulate, as this is the only time you can get pregnant. Use your period tracker app or calendar and learn now to track your ovulation. You may also like to take a look at when you can and can’t get pregnant. 

Freaking out about being pregnant is a pastime of many women, but if you take the proper precautions and understand when and how you get pregnant, you can reduce the risks right down.

You sound like your anxiety gets the better of you sometimes, which doesn’t have to happen – there is help available for anxiety, so it might be good for you to see if you can find someone to talk to about it and get help. There are strategies to help manage it. If you are an anxious person, this is something that will be with you, as part of you, for your entire life, so getting a handle on it sooner rather than later is useful as a life skill.

Write anytime.

Warmest regards,
Aunt Vadge