Did You Hear About The Girl Who . . . ?: Contemporary Legends, Folklore, and Human Sexuality

Chapter 3: You Can't Get Pregnant Your Very First Time: Understandings of Fertility and Birth Control in Folk Beliefs

3 YOU CAN’T GET PREGNANT YOUR VERY FIRST TIME Understandings of Fertility and Birth Control in Folk Beliefs ❏ Avoiding Pregnancy “If you do it while standing up, gravity will keep the sperm from reaching its destination.” “If you douche right after it will wash away all the sperm.” A clear presentation of facts is important in sexuality education, but unless the shared and often unspoken beliefs such as those above are dealt with directly, the facts are mere abstractions that don’t contradict deeply held misunderstandings. An educator can discuss the ovulatory cycle and issues around pregnancy and contraception in great detail, but still leave whole areas of students’ beliefs untouched. The following beliefs were collected by college students, as part of folklore class assignments, from informants representing a wide range of ages. Students collected folklore about both how to prevent preg24 nancy and ways in which pregnancy can happen. Not surprisingly, men reported mostly on the former and women on the latter. Men may wish to assure women that it is safe to have intercourse, even using misinformation as lines to persuade women to “go all the way,” while women may have anxieties about a variety of ways in which pregnancy might occur. According to this collection of folklore, a woman cannot get pregnant if/when: she has intercourse standing up. she has intercourse in a hot tub, in water, or in the shower. she has intercourse on top. she has intercourse for the first time. she only has sex a few times. she holds her breath when the man comes. she does not have an orgasm. she douches with any of the following: a commercial preparation, ice water, vinegar, Coca-Cola, 7-Up, 5-Alive (the latter two reportedly work before or after intercourse). she drinks Coca-Cola immediately after intercourse. she jumps up and down following intercourse. she stands on her head following intercourse. she takes a long, hot bath immediately. she urinates after intercourse. she sneezes after sex. the man drinks alcohol before intercourse. she has intercourse during her period. he withdraws before ejaculation. she is breast-feeding. he uses Saran Wrap or a baggie as a condom. she is raped. These beliefs may be held by middle school, high school, and college students, and even by adults beyond college age. If a sexuality educator YOU CAN’T GET PREGNANT YOUR VERY FIRST TIME 25 discusses the physiology of the menstrual cycle and reproduction in great detail but never explains clearly that a woman can get pregnant standing up or the first time she has intercourse, the erroneous beliefs can co-exist with the detailed scientific information. One simple exercise in a health or sexuality class is to elicit from students in a brainstorming session, or assign them to collect, as many beliefs as they can about preventing pregnancy; this should not place them in the awkward position of admitting their own acceptance of certain folk beliefs. Students can then apply the information they have learned in the class to evaluate these beliefs. They can discuss the fact that douching with any substance may wash out or kill some sperm but also may force some sperm closer to and through the cervix. This is a perfect opportunity to discuss other issues related to douching, such as the research that suggests it increases the risk of ectopic pregnancies, probably by forcing microorganisms up through the cervix, thereby causing reproductive tract infections that can lead to tubal scarring and ectopic pregnancies. The connection in terms of mechanism should then make even more sense. They also might discuss why contraceptive potential has been wrongly attributed to different beverages (colas, the most frequently cited choice for douching, have been reported to have a weak spermicidal effect in vitro, that is, “in glass”). The explanation provided by one student informant for the contraceptive effects of the man drinking alcohol is that the sperm become “drunk” and cannot swim straight. There are a number of issues that can be raised in discussing this belief, in addition to explaining that alcohol won’t make sperm too drunk to reach their destination. For example, heavy or even moderate alcohol consumption by women may reduce their fertility (Jensen et al., 1998). However, if this information is given, it is important to make it clear first of all that drinking will not work as a method of birth control and that long-term...