CAN YOU GET
PREGNANT
FROM PRECUM?
CAN PRECUM GET YOU PREGNANT?
I remember that first time I heard the term “precum” was when someone in my eighth grade asked about this during our health class. This was one of those hot topics, where boys and girls didn’t even know the basics, but still wanted to know all about those risky situations which could leave a girl pregnant. What I remember clearly was the teacher saying “No” in a very clear manner, while explaining that precum doesn’t contain sperm, but quickly managed to steer our conversation towards the ways we can protect ourselves during sex.
What is important to be said here is the reason why my classmates wanted to know if a girl can get pregnant from precum, since even though we were teens when we had this conversation, I am sure there are many adults who are having this same dilemma. The reason for asking this is because teens wanted to know if pulling out before ejaculating is a way to avoid pregnancy, which can be looked at a method of birth control. This is why the question of “Can you get pregnant from precum?” is still pretty much important.
TAKING A DEEPER LOOK
Before answering the question “Can You Get Pregnant From Precum?”, it is important to learn how pregnancy happens.
What is important to be said is that the sperm can live inside the female up to five days, which is how unprotected intercourse can leave a female pregnant even if the ovulation had happened days before.
WHAT EXACTLY IS PRECUM
Pre-ejaculate (generally known as “precum”) is fluid that is usually released when a guy gets an erection. The role of precum is to clean out the inside of the urethra, which is the tube that carries semen and urine out of the penis. To be more precise, this fluid is released by the Cowper’s glands, which are two very small glands along the male reproductive tract. This fluid neutralizes the acidic environment of the urethra, thus helping the semen travel through this route via ejaculation. Precum is usually clear and sometimes visible at the tip of the penis during sexual arousal.
DOES PRECUM CONTAIN SPERM?
Simply by thinking logically, you can assume that a guy’s precum could contain sperm if there are live sperm cells inside a guy’s urethra. Let’s say that a guy ejaculated recently which is how sperm could still be living in the urethra. By logical reasoning, it can be said that this happens only if a guy doesn’t pee after sex. So does this mean that you can get pregnant if a guy ejaculates at some point, and doesn’t go to the bathroom after he has sex, and then gets aroused an hour later, which is when the precum gets released? Well, the best way to answer this is by looking at a couple of medical and anatomical facts. Medical experts agree that living sperms can be found in precum, but that your chances to get pregnant are very low simply because precum doesn’t contain much sperm. Scientifically speaking, a normal ejaculation consists of 100 million sperm cells in a fluid of quantity per single milliliter.
Only 10 million sperm cells get to pass the cervical mucus of the female, but then only 1 million get to reach the uterine tract. Finally, only 100,000 cells reach fallopian tube where egg fertilization can occur. In precum, there are about 3 million sperm cells in one milliliter, which means there are fewer chances that a single sperm cell can find its route all the way to the fallopian tube. One of the recent studies was conducted on 27 random participants who were masturbating several times in order to collect information whether precum contains living sperm. The researchers took samples of the participants’ precum fluid and analyzed them for sperm. This research showed that 41 percent of the men had traces of sperm in their precum fluid, which means that 10 of the 27 participants had semen in their precum.
SO, CAN YOU
GET PREGNANT
FROM PRECUM?
Even though are about 3 million sperm cells in precum, in contrast to about 100 million cells that are created during ejaculation, your chances of getting pregnant are pretty low. Still, this does not mean the possibility is next to zero, since there is a small amount of chance that fertilisation will actually happen.
WITHDRAWAL, AS A BIRTH-CONTROL METHOD?
It is a common opinion that it’s possible to prevent pregnancy by using the withdrawal method, which is when a guy pulls out his penis before ejaculating. You are wrong if you think that by withholding ejaculation you can be perfectly safe since chances are the precum has entered if not the ejaculation. As can be expected, there have been cases where men were not able to withdraw in the right time and ejaculated without wearing any protection, which is why this is one of the lest reliable ways to protect yourself and your partner.
HOW TO STAY
PROTECTED?
It is always a good idea to use a condom and have a safe intercourse. By using a condom, you can be sure that even if pulling does not work, you are still protected.
There is also another important aspect to why using a condom is simply a must. Precum can contain infectious agents (including HIV), which leaves you exposed to infections that are transmitted through fluids, such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, and HIV!
THE BOTTOM
LINE
The bottom line is that you shouldn’t take precum for granted since there is a slight chance of getting pregnant. Know that if your partner is using a condom, there are 99 percent chances that you will stay protected from the risk.
In case you have any concerns regarding sex or birth-control, it is advisable to communicate with your partner, so you can be sure in what you’re doing and what it can lead to.
ANY QUESTIONS?
If you have any questions about precum or pregnancy, feel free to send us an e-mail and we will answer your question asap.