May is Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, so the TAG Team decided to find out just how much teens know about the topic! They created a true-or-false quiz about pregnancy and pregnancy prevention and gave it to more than 50 of their peers — girls and guys between the ages of 14 and 19.
When they got the quizzes back, they were encouraged to find that most of the teens answered most questions correctly. Scroll down to check out the results.
To take the quiz yourself before seeing the results, click here.
THE QUIZ
1. There is only one day a month when a woman can get pregnant.
False. 98 percent of teens got this question right.
In total, a woman has a good chance of becoming pregnant from unprotected sex during the six days of her menstrual cycle that end in ovulation. Ovulation usually occurs about 14 days before the start of a woman's period.
2. Girls can use emergency contraception pills (ECPs) to reduce the risk of pregnancy after unprotected vaginal intercourse.
True. 98 percent of teens got this question right.
ECPs can reduce the risk of pregnancy when started within 120 hours of unprotected sex. The sooner they're taken, the better. If started within 72 hours of unprotected sex, they can reduce the risk of pregnancy by 75 to 89 percent.
3. Birth control pills don't protect people against sexually transmitted infections.
True. 90 percent of teens got this question right.
Like all forms of hormonal birth control, birth control pills only offer protection from pregnancy, not infection.
4. Female condoms offer protection from pregnancy and infections and are worn inside the vagina.
True. 90 percent of teens got this question right.
Used correctly and consistently, female condoms are up to 95 percent effective against pregnancy, and they also reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections.
5. A woman can get pregnant if she has unprotected sex during her period.
True. 83 percent of teens got this question right.
Although it's rare, it is possible for a girl to get pregnant during her period, especially if her menstrual cycle is brief — less than 22 days.
6. Pregnancy can happen from oral sex.
False. 83 percent of teens got this question right.
Pregnancy can only happen when ejaculate or pre-ejaculate gets in the vagina or on the vulva.
7. A missed period always means a girl is pregnant.
False. 80 percent of teens got this question right.
A missed period can be a sign of pregnancy, but a girl may also miss a period because of stress, illness, a diet that's too low in fat, changes in sleep patterns or exercise, or because her period hasn't become regular yet.
8. Pregnancy can happen even if a guy withdraws the penis before ejaculation.
True. 75 percent of teens got this question right.
Before ejaculation, penises can leak fluid called pre-ejaculate, which can pick up live sperm up from a man's reproductive tract from previous ejaculations and cause pregnancy.
9. A woman can't get pregnant the first time she has vaginal intercourse.
False. 67 percent of teens got this question right.
Any girl who has unprotected vaginal intercourse runs the risk of becoming pregnant, whether it's her first time having sex or her 100th time.
10. Emergency contraception pills (ECPs) cause an abortion.
False. Only 55 percent of teens got this question right.
Some people mistakenly think that ECPs cause an abortion. But there's a big difference between abortion and emergency contraception. ECPs prevent pregnancy by preventing ovulation (the release of an egg by the ovary) or by preventing fertilization (the joining of sperm and egg). Abortion ends an existing pregnancy.
11. Pregnancy begins as soon as sperm fertilizes an egg.
False. Only 20 percent of teens got this question right.
Pregnancy doesn't happen right away. Sperm may wait in a woman's reproductive tract for six days before an egg is released. After sperm fertilizes an egg, it can take up to six days — possibly seven — for the fertilized egg to begin to attach itself to the lining of the uterus. Pregnancy begins when this happens.
Want more questions to test your knowledge of pregnancy prevention? Check out another quiz — What Can Cause Pregnancy?
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Sexuality and relationship info you can trust from Planned Parenthood® Federation of America
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