Pregnancy FAQs

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🤰 Am I pregnant? Take the Online Pregnancy Test!

📆 How far along am I? Use our Pregnancy Tracker!

👥 Discover your hidden potential! — Pregnancy Personality Test

1. Can You Get Pregnant Without Penetration?

You did not actually have sex, but you were very intimate? Many girls and women wonder whether they could have become pregnant.

Note: The likelihood of becoming pregnant from foreplay is extremely slim but not impossible. For a pregnancy to happen, several things must be in place:

• The interlude happened during your fertile window.
• Live sperm came into contact with your vagina.

Sperm needs cervical mucus for survival. Without this vaginal fluid, the semen dries up quickly, causing the sperm to die, e.g. when exposed to air or skin. But it is important to note that even pre-cum can contain sperm.

💗 Could I be pregnant without penetration? — Take the quiz

💧 Could I be pregnant from the pull-out method or pre-cum? — Test

🌱 How does pregnancy happen? Process of Conception

2. What Are Typical Pregnancy Symptoms?

A multitude of symptoms can announce a pregnancy. The most common signs include fatigue, tender, swollen breasts, cramps and mild headaches. These symptoms are almost identical to PMS. In both cases, these physical sensations are triggered by the same hormone: progesterone.

A pregnancy test — or the onset of your period — will help you discern whether you are pregnant.

• 🥱 Are my symptoms an early sign of pregnancy? — Test
• ❓ Mucus — a sign of pregnancy? More information
• 🧑‍⚕️ (Maybe) pregnant — How soon should I see a doctor? — Test

3. How Does a Home Pregnancy Test Work?

Shop-bought pregnancy tests reveal whether you are pregnant by tracing a specific hormone in your body. When pregnant, a prominent level of the pregnancy hormone beta-hCG will be present in your urine.

• ❗For accurate results, timing and exactness matter. You can only test for a possible pregnancy several days after conception. Therefore, it makes sense to wait with taking the test until your period is overdue. Also, test on your first urine of the day, where pregnancy hormone concentrations are highest.

  ✅ How do I take a pregnancy test?
  ❌ Could I be pregnant despite negative pregnancy test?
  📆 Can you be pregnant and still have your period?

4. Tobacco, Drugs, Alcohol: Has My Substance Use Harmed the Baby?

You may not have realised you were pregnant until later. Now you are wondering whether your consumption could have stifled your baby's development.

Of course, tobacco, drugs and alcohol can be harmful to the embryo, especially if taken in large quantities. Therefore, the sooner you stop using, the better!

Still, you can breathe a sigh of relief: in the first few weeks, the embryo does not yet receive any nutrients via the mother's blood. Also, any cells that are damaged in early pregnancy can usually be repaired. If nicotine or similar had caused irreversible harm to your baby, you would have probably miscarried by now.

🍷🚬 Take the Tox Test: Is the Baby Okay? Or read the article attached to this link.

📗 You may also like:

• High-Risk Pregnancy: What to Expect
• Tips on Dealing with Morning Sickness

5. Antenatal Testing: Is My Baby’s Development Normal?

While pregnancy can be accompanied by a range of emotions, it can also often feel like you are faced with several decisions.

Perhaps your doctor offered some antenatal screening. Or you may have heard about a specific test and want to know more.

Or perhaps you already completed genetic testing, resulting in abnormal findings or a diagnosis. Do you feel as if your entire world is falling apart?

It may be reassuring to hear that many abnormal findings turn out to be false positives. The baby may be completely fine. But right now, it is understandable that you would be wondering how to proceed and what options are available to you.

In any case, you have the opportunity to gather more information. No decision must be made overnight. Moreover, you do not have to go through this alone! 💜

• Antenatal Testing: Options and what these tests (cannot) reveal
• Abnormal results — Now what?
• Common diagnoses and what they (may) mean
• Trisomy 21 diagnosis (Down's syndrome)
• What would it be like to raise a special needs child? What kind of support is available?

🩺 Are you considering a TFMR (Termination for Medical Reasons)? Take the Foetal Defect Abortion Test.

6. Pregnant Under 18 — What Do I Need to Know?

Even as a minor, you have the right to carry your pregnancy to term. No one, neither your parents nor your boyfriend, may coerce you to have an abortion.

There are a few things you need to be aware of when parenting as a minor: in the UK, even if you are under 16, you have the same legal rights and responsibilities towards your child as an adult.

As a minor, numerous benefits are available to you. This governmental assistance ensures that you and your baby have everything you need.

• 🙌 Resources and regulations: Pregnant under 18.
• 👩🏾 Pregnant under 18: Terminate or keep the baby? Take the Test.

7. Pregnant at Work — What Are My Rights?

Pregnancy is a protected status in the Global North. This means that discrimination based on pregnancy is against the law. Hiring, firing and pay may not be made dependent on one’s pregnancy status. But, if you are only temping and your contract is ending, your employer is not obligated to renew it. Even if this is your predicament, help is available.

• 👩🏻‍🔬 Maternity Leave — What am I entitled to?
• 🤰🏿 Pregnancy Discrimination Laws — What are my rights?
• 👷🏻‍♀️ Will pregnancy affect my probationary period?
• ✍🏻 How and when do I tell my boss?
• 🍼 Financial Assistance — What can I apply for?

8. Pregnant at University/During Skill Training — How Can I Make It Work?

Your plans may have been completely different. Now you wonder whether you can still pursue them despite pregnancy and motherhood. Fortunately, many opportunities and resources are available to you so that you can have both: a baby and an education.

You can usually complete secondary school without making any additional changes. At university, you can still attend lectures and complete your exams like everyone else. Discuss any need for adjustments, such as postponements or extensions, with your training supervisor or professor.

Approach them as soon as possible to create an individualised education plan!

Depending on your internship, adjustments may have to be made to protect you and the baby. It is important for you not to be exposed to hazardous materials or strenuous labour.

Specific information on financial resources, housing options and childcare:

👩🏽‍💻 Pregnant at University

👩‍✈️ Pregnant During Skill Training

9. Issues with the Baby's Dad — What is the Law?

Maybe you are pregnant and your relationship status is somehow 'complicated.' Or you are not married and have questions about acknowledging paternity.

Initially, understanding paternity regulations may seem daunting — especially if the child was conceived in an affair or you do not know who the father is. Allow us to walk you through the details so that you can determine which path to take.

The law is usually crafted with the child's best interests in mind. Of course, it is just as important for you to weigh up what is best for you.

You are not obligated to name the father on the birth certificate. There may be advantages to doing so, such as the heightened probability that the father would pay child support.

Find out more by clicking the titles below:

• Paternity Regulations – Should I name the father on the birth certificate?
• Custody and Visitation Rights

👨🏾 How do I react if he does not want the baby? — Take the test

‍🙎🏻‍♂️ Acknowledging Paternity — How to navigate issues with the dad? Quiz

10. Support Options — What is Available?

🆘 Are you in an emergency and need immediate support?

• Conceived by rape? This is where you will find support and resources.

You do not have to be in a crisis to benefit from pregnancy-related resources. Support is available to every pregnant woman and young mother. Check out our articles below to find out what is available to you. Do not be too shy to ask for help. You are worth it! 💚

💰 Financial Support Near Me: Maternity grant, child benefit, housing assistance, childcare benefit, nutrition assistance...

🙌 Practical Support Near Me: It takes a village to raise a child. We help you find your village!

📘 You may also like:

• Pregnant and Self-Employed — Support options
• Residential Care for Mothers with Young Children
• Chronic Health Condition and Pregnant: Considerations

Anxious and Unsure?

You may have just discovered your surprise pregnancy, or unexpected concerns have come up later in the pregnancy. Are you unsure where to go from here? Wondering whether to have an abortion?

• Wondering where to start? ⛑ Take the First Aid Test!
• Wondering whether you have what it takes? 💪🏻 Try our Strengths Finder Test!