Feb 20, 2020 4 min read

I thought a small window into the minds of 10- to- 12-year-olds might make people smile. These questions are from my What’s Up as You Grow Up? Parent/Youth program.

Q. If a dog and a person have sex would they have a puppy or a baby? -10-year-old

Mary Jo’s response: Neither. Two different species cannot reproduce (make babies). A person is one species and a dog is another. No puppies. No babies.

Q. Why do some twins look alike and some don’t? My aunt is expecting twins, and I’m grossed out. I heard my mom say my aunt had the babies put inside of her. Is that possible? That’s weird. I don’t get it because she already has my cousin. Is her baby-making stuff broken? – 11-year-old

Mary Jo’s response: Twins can be either fraternal or identical. Fraternal twins are just like other siblings (brothers and sisters) and happen when two eggs and two sperm unite to make two babies. Fraternal twins usually don’t look alike. Twins can also be identical. Identical twins happen when one egg and one sperm unite and then split to make two babies. Identical twins look alike.

People who have trouble getting pregnant may go to a clinic for in vitro fertilization (IVF). IVF unites an egg and a sperm outside the body. When an embryo is formed, it is placed in the uterus so the pregnancy can progress. Many people give birth to healthy babies after IVF. It’s not weird at all, although it may sound new or different. Sometimes one person’s pregnancy happens in the typical way but a later pregnancy may be more complicated and need medical intervention (meaning a doctor helps the process by giving medications and using treatments like IVF).

Twins often happen after IVF because the doctor may put more than one embryo into the uterus.

One of the couples in my childbirth classes described their second pregnancy to their older child. They used IVF for the second pregnancy. They said, “We really wanted another baby. A combination of love, determination and science made your baby brother happen.”

Q. I heard that if a girl has sex and doesn’t want to be pregnant she should stand up right away afterwards, right? Because, gravity, right? – 11-year-old

Mary Jo’s response: Not at all. Sperm swim fast. The egg is released from the ovary during ovulation. It remains in the Fallopian tube. Conception (uniting an egg and sperm) happens in the tube. Standing up or jumping around after sex won’t prevent a pregnancy.

Q. A girl can’t get pregnant until she’s had her first period. True or false? – 12-year-old

Mary Jo’s response: False. Ovulation (the release of an egg) happens 12 to 14 days before a period (menstruation). A pregnancy can happen when sperm are present during ovulation. Since ovulation happens before the first period, it is possible to get pregnant before first bleeding (period or menstruation).

Q. I’m gay. Do I have to go through puberty? – 12-year-old

Mary Jo’s response: Yes. Everyone’s body changes both physically (in the way the body works and looks) and emotionally (in the way a person’s feelings change). Sexual attraction or identity doesn’t affect puberty. It happens to everyone.

Q. What if I think about this person I like all the time, like 24/7? I’m kinda obsessed but never talk to them. Can I get an STD? BTW what is an STD? I heard about it on the bus. – 11-year-old

Mary Jo’s response: STD is short for sexually transmitted disease. It is more accurate to say STI (sexually transmitted infection) because viruses or bacteria can spread through sexual contact and infect another person.

STIs only spread through physical contact during a sexual experience. Thinking about someone you like, no matter how much you think about them, can not spread an STI.

Have a question? Send it to Dr. Mary Jo Podgurski’s email podmj@healthyteens.com.