3.11 Getting pregnant – Truths and Myths   I can describe how pregnancy occurs. I can challenge myths about conception/getting pregnant. rshp.scot

Truth: Something that is a fact, accurate, that can actually happen, that is real. Myth: Something that might be believed by people but isn’t true; a fiction; a fake idea or story. rshp.scot

Truth or myth? Activity rshp.scot

How does a pregnancy begin? Every pregnancy starts with the egg from a woman and the sperm from a man. Better picture required please rshp.scot

A woman’s eggs are stored in her ovaries A woman’s eggs are stored in her ovaries. Every month a woman releases an egg. If it is not fertilised then the woman has her period. rshp.scot

The man’s sperm is made in his testicles which are inside the bag of skin that hangs behind his penis Happy with this. But we think ‘testes’ is used in other parts of the resource. Needs consistency rshp.scot

When the sperm and egg come together, this is called fertilisation. Fertilisation can happen in different ways. rshp.scot

During sex, the man’s penis goes inside the woman’s vagina During sex, the man’s penis goes inside the woman’s vagina. When the man ejaculates, the sperm comes out and goes to meet the egg inside the woman’s body. Rachel Watson tried this lesson with her class at New Struan and some of the students pointed out that this didn’t look like a sexual position and were confused. Could we have a drawing of a man and woman having sex please? rshp.scot

Sometimes a woman may need medical help to become pregnant. This involves the egg and sperm being fertilised artificially in a laboratory dish. The doctor then implants the fertilised egg into the woman’s uterus. This is called IVF. IVF stands for In Vitro Fertilisation, which means ‘In Glass Fertilisation’. We have science teachers in our group. The correct term is uterus. Once the fertilised egg is implanted, it becomes a ‘womb’. Group though laboratory dish was more specific than just ‘laboratory’ and as In Vitro mean ‘ In Glass’ , it makes sense. rshp.scot

A woman can also become pregnant when a man donates his sperm to her A woman can also become pregnant when a man donates his sperm to her. The woman can insert sperm donated by a man into her vagina. If the sperm meets her egg, she can become pregnant.

After fertilisation a pregnancy begins and the foetus develops in the woman’s womb. So now the woman is pregnant. She will be pregnant for 9 months. rshp.scot

Pregnancy: Truth or Myth? ACTIVITY The group did not like the Sad Face on the ‘Thumb Down’ - a. Because the ‘Thumb Up’ doesn’t have a face and b. Because not all the ‘Myth’s ‘ are bad (or sad at all) . Teachers wanted Slides to be All Questions First and then Slides with Answers on afterwards please as they think teachers would just move slides along and then give all the answers away and ruin the activity. Plus if your students can cope with reading and/ or sorting the cards, you can just read the Questions off the slides and present it that way. rshp.scot

1. You can get pregnant the first time you have sex. TRUTH. If it’s your first time or 10th time or 100th time the chances of getting pregnant are the same. rshp.scot

2. Scotland has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in Europe. TRUTH. We do. Teachers thought this might create Questions and also give the impression that alot of young people got pregnant. They suggested stats in the Teacher Notes that clarified that the highest TP Pregnancy rates were not under 16 year olds but aged 16-19. rshp.scot

3. You can’t get pregnant if you have sex during your period. MYTH You can get pregnant if you have sex during your period. Your ability to get pregnant is dependent on when you ovulate, and not directly associated with your period. rshp.scot

4. If a male pulls out before he ejaculates you can’t get pregnant. MYTH When the male has an erect penis he can have pre-cum that has sperm in it. This means pulling out is not a good method to stop pregnancy. rshp.scot

5. Using contraception makes it harder to get pregnant later on. MYTH Contraception does prevent pregnancy when you’re using it. Once you stop using it, your fertility returns. rshp.scot

6. Sperm can live for 3 to 5 days in the right conditions. TRUTH If the sperm is in a warm, moist environment it can live after the male has ejaculated. If the sperm then gets inside the female’s vagina there is a risk of pregnancy. rshp.scot

7. Washing their vagina after sex will prevent a female from getting pregnant. MYTH Washing a vagina after sex will not wash away the sperm so will not prevent pregnancy. rshp.scot

8. The best way to avoid pregnancy is to not have vaginal sex or to always use contraception when having vaginal sex. TRUTH. The best way to avoid pregnancy is to not have vaginal sex or to always use contraception when having vaginal sex. rshp.scot

9. You can’t get pregnant if you have sex standing up. MYTH You can get pregnant if you are having vaginal sex in ANY position at all. Teachers thought the original answer too complicated for mainstream and ASN. rshp.scot

10. Things that can damage your health (like smoking or drinking alcohol) can also damage the foetus. TRUTH It is recommended that pregnant women stop smoking and do not drink alcohol as it can affect the foetus. There was some discussion about being too ambiguous. In the end, we thought up a different question and answer. rshp.scot

11. Having sex in water or in the shower prevents you from getting pregnant. MYTH It doesn’t matter where you have sex - you can still get pregnant. rshp.scot

12. A sandwich bag or plastic wrap will work just as well as a condom. MYTH Only condoms are designed to prevent pregnancy; sandwich bags are designed to carry sandwiches. rshp.scot