What is reproduction?
Reproduction is the process that allows living things, including humans, to have babies. In humans, this involves a sperm cell and an egg cell joining together in a process called fertilisation. When this happens, it can lead to pregnancy and the development of a baby.
What is pregnancy?
Pregnancy is when a fertilised egg grows inside a person’s uterus (womb) and develops into a baby. This process usually lasts around 9 months. During this time, the body goes through many changes to help the baby grow.
Who can get pregnant?
Anyone with a uterus (womb) and ovaries can get pregnant if a sperm fertilises an egg.
This includes cisgender women, transgender men and non-binary people, even if taking hormones such as testosterone.
Pregnancy can occur from just before a person’s first period up until menopause, although people are generally more fertile when they are younger.
You can learn more about bodies and anatomy on the Puberty page.
How does someone get pregnant?
Vaginal sex
The most common way for someone to get pregnant is through vaginal sex (when a penis goes into a vagina).
During sex, if someone with a penis ejaculates, a liquid called semen comes out of the end of the penis which contains millions of tiny sperm cells. If this semen gets into the vagina, it can swim up through the cervix into the uterus and travel to the fallopian tubes. If there is an egg inside the fallopian tubes, one of these sperm cells can join with it. This is called fertilisation.
Once the egg is fertilised, it can attach itself to the lining of the uterus – this is called implantation – and this marks the beginning of pregnancy. The fertilised egg will then start to grow and develop into an embryo, and eventually a baby.
Watch the Pregnancy and Reproduction Explained video from AMAZE Org.
Assisted conception
Some people use something called assisted conception to help them become pregnant. This can be helpful if:
- They are having trouble getting pregnant through vaginal sex
- They are LGBTQ+
- They are single
- They don’t want to or can’t have sex
There are different types of assisted conception that can be done at home or with the help of medical professionals.
IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation)
IVF is a medical process where a sperm and egg are joined together in a lab. If the egg is successfully fertilised, a doctor places it into a person’s uterus to try and start a pregnancy. The egg and sperm can come from the intended parents, or people can use sperm and/or eggs donated from someone else (called a sperm donor or egg donor).
IUI (Intrauterine Insemination)
In IUI, sperm is placed by a doctor directly into the uterus via the vagina using a thin tube during the time when a person is ovulating. The sperm used can be from a partner or sperm donor.
Home Insemination
This is when sperm is placed into the vagina using a syringe or special kit at home, instead of in a clinic. The sperm used can be from a partner or a sperm donor.
Surrogacy
Surrogacy is when another person (called a surrogate) gets pregnant and gives birth to a baby for someone else. The surrogate can use their own egg or it can come from the intended parent or a donor. The sperm used can be from one of the intended parents or from a sperm donor.
How does someone know if they are pregnant?
One of the earliest signs of pregnancy is a missed period, although there may be other reasons for this and it’s important to know that people can still bleed from their vagina when they are pregnant.
If you have had unprotected sex, or are worried you may be pregnant, it’s important to do a test to be sure. You must wait 2-3 weeks after unprotected sex for a test to be accurate. These tests are easy to do and just involve weeing in a pot or directly onto the test, and work by testing for a hormone in your urine called hCG.
You can get tests from:
- ourPlace (free)
- Sexual health clinics (free)
- Your GP (free)
- Supermarkets/pharmacies
How can someone avoid pregnancy?
There are lots of different ways that someone can avoid pregnancy if they are having vaginal sex. These methods are called contraception, and include things like using condoms to create a barrier so the sperm cannot enter the vagina, and hormonal methods like the pill which can prevent your body from releasing an egg to be fertilised. No method of contraception is 100% effective at preventing pregnancy, however they can lower the chances to less than 1% depending on the method used.
You can find out more about contraception on our Sexual Health page [link].
What choices does someone have if they are pregnant?
There are three main choices that someone has if they are pregnant: to continue the pregnancy and become a parent; abortion; or putting the baby up for adoption.
Parenthood
This option involves choosing to keep and raise the baby.
This means taking on the responsibilities of being a parent, including caring for and providing for the child as they grow up.
There is support available for young parents including with school, money and housing.
Speak to a trusted adult to learn about support services and plan the next steps.
Abortion
This option involves a safe and confidential medical procedure to end a pregnancy.
Abortion is legal in the UK up to 24 weeks and parents or carers do not need to give permission or know about the abortion, even if you are under 16, although it is encouraged to tell someone so that you have support.
1 in 3 women will have an abortion in the UK.
Speak to a trusted adult, sexual health service eg ourPlace, your GP or British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS).
Adoption
This option involves continuing the pregnancy and then placing the baby with another family who will legally adopt and raise them.
You have up to 6 weeks after birth to change your mind, but once an adoption has been finalised it is permanent, and birth parents no longer have legal rights or responsibilities for the child.
Speak to a trusted adult to learn about support services and plan the next steps.
Is pregnancy the only way someone can have children?
No, there are lots of different ways that people can become parents that don’t involve getting pregnant! These include:
- Adoption – where someone becomes the legal parent of a child who is not biologically theirs. Adoptive parents raise the child and are their official and legal family.
- Fostering – which involves caring for children who can’t live with their birth family, either short-term or long-term. Some foster carers go on to adopt.
- Being a step-parent – where someone becomes a parent by marrying or living with someone who already has children.
- Co-parenting – where two or more people decide to raise a child together, even if they’re not in a romantic relationship.
All families are different, and what matters most is love, care and support. Families can be formed in many different ways, and no one way is better than the other.
