The Little Black Book For Guys: Guys Talk About Sex

You Thought What? Myths and Facts about Birth Control

There is a lot of information out there about birth control. Some of it is good and some of it is just plain wrong! You gotta know what’s accurate—this ain’t no algebra test. Get it wrong and your girl will be failing a pregnancy test!!! You’ll kick yourself later if you listen to what a buddy heard from a guy who heard some shit from a reality TV show! Make sure you know where to go to get the accurate info. You don’t want to be a daddy before you are ready. You can start right here with this list of common myths and facts about birth control.

Myth: Birth control is the responsibility of the girl because she is the one who can get pregnant.

Fact: Birth control is the responsibility of both partners. Simple rule: if it affects her, it affects you. A girl would have to be pregnant for nine months and then give birth, but guys are just as responsible for any new life they helped create! Some guys think they can walk away, but the law sees it differently. If you want your hard-earned dollars for the movies and your Xbox, and not for diapers and baby food (not to mention paying child support for the next 20 years), you’d better make damn sure that birth control is your responsibility as well.

Myth: The birth control pill is 100% guaranteed and is safe for girls to take.

Fact: Bad news: if you’re having sex, there’s no birth control method that is 100% guaranteed. But the Pill is among the most effective methods of birth control out there. Don’t unzip just yet, bud, ’cause even though birth control pills are pretty effective at preventing pregnancy, they are 0% effective against STIs.

Also, birth control pills are only as reliable as the person who takes them. Your girl has to be crazy organized and reliable. She can’t forget to take them, even for one day. And is she on any other pills? Sometimes other meds can screw with how the Pill works in her body. Or how about if she’s sick one day and throws up? If it’s right after taking her birth control pill, the thing may not have had time to get in gear. 

Birth control patches, instead of a pill, can avoid that, but patch or pill, this stuff is messing with your girl’s hormones. 

(That’s how it tells her body to not get pregnant.) That can mean increased moodiness, depression, and anxiety. Just what you both want, right?

It’s very rare, but birth control pills also increase a girl’s risk for getting blood clots, which can do real damage if they get into her brain, lungs, or heart.

Anyway, it’s not as simple as her just popping a pill so you can bust a nut. There’s serious shit to talk about. Talk to a doctor about anything you and your girl are worried about.

Myth: Condoms are 100% foolproof against pregnancy and STIs. 

Fact: I’m telling you again bro, if you’re having sex, no birth control method is 100% foolproof. But condoms are very damn effective if you use them properly. First of all, you need to make sure that they are not expired and that they haven’t been freezing or melting or getting holes poked through them, and then you gotta put one of the things on properly so it doesn’t break, tear, or slip off. If you do all that, the condom will protect you from a lot of STIs, but not all. Some live on the skin where a condom doesn’t cover. That makes you fair game for infection.

(See Chapter 4 for more info.)

Myth: Pulling out before you cum is a good form of birth control.

Fact: Pulling out is NOT a method of birth control. I mean seriously, you really think this is reliable? You really think that, when you’re in there and it feels so good and you are about to cum, you’re going pull out in time? Even if you think you do have total control, ever heard of pre-cum? That’s the liquidy stuff that dribbles out of the tip of your dick when you’re turned on but long before you cum. That stuff can contain sperm (not to mention STIs), which can get her pregnant even if you never came!

Myth: Girls can’t get pregnant when they are on their period.

Fact: Simple rule: there is always a chance that your girl can get pregnant if your sperm and her vagina are involved. Yeah, there are times when girls are more likely to get pregnant than other times. But do you want to bet a baby on any odds?

Myth: Girls can’t get pregnant the first time. Girls can’t get pregnant if you have sex standing up. Girls can’t get pregnant if you have sex in the tub or shower.

Fact: None of these are true, even if you try them all at once. You know what? If someone starts saying “Girls can’t get pregnant if...,” then just stop listening. You’re better off thinking that girls can always get pregnant. That way you will always be thinking about using birth control to not get them pregnant.

Myth: I don’t need to know about birth control because I am gay.

Fact: Nice try, but everyone should know about birth control. You never know who you’ll sex with throughout your life. Many gay guys have sex with a girl at least once. How’d you like be a gay guy who ends up having sex with a girl once and gets her pregnant? Even if you aren’t having sex with girls, you should know this stuff. Your straight friends might believe some of these myths—and it’ll be up to you to sort them out.

See “Shields Up, Captain!” later in this chapter on pages 198–205 for more info about birth control options.