Are you curious about getting pregnant from precum? If so, you’re not alone—so many people have asked this question that it’s nearly impossible to find an accurate answer on the internet without wading through thousands of search results and websites that will likely contain inaccurate information or ads disguised as content. Here, we break down the latest medical research on precum and pregnancy to help you understand your chances of becoming pregnant after having unprotected sex with someone who has ejaculated pre-ejaculate fluid into your vagina.

Can you get pregnant if you come in contact with pre-ejaculate?

The simple answer to that question is yes. There are a few important things you should know, however, if you’re curious about pregnancy through precum. What Is Pre-Ejaculate? Let’s start with some basics about what precum really is. The amount of liquid that leaks out of a man before he ejaculates when he’s sexually aroused is called pre-ejaculate. Some women think it can cause pregnancy and others believe it cannot; however, it can actually cause pregnancy—but there are ways to prevent getting pregnant from precum.

Pre-ejaculate is basically sperm, right?

So, if sperm is present in the precum, then it’s easy to conclude that getting pregnant from precum is a possibility. However, you have to consider several factors before getting too worried. First of all, pregnancy rates are highest when semen and not precum causes penetration; sperm are able to survive longer outside of a man’s body than they can inside. Second, most experts say that pre-ejaculate will get rid of any sperm that has been hanging out in your urethra—the tube carrying urine from your bladder through your penis—making pregnancy unlikely even if precum does make contact with his partner’s cervix. Still not convinced? Consider how rarely women actually get pregnant during sex with no contraception involved.

Is there any way to test for pregnancy through pre-ejaculate or semen alone without having had intercourse first?

The short answer is no. According to Planned Parenthood, sperm usually don’t make it into pre-ejaculate, so you can’t get pregnant from your partner’s pre-cum. Also, getting pregnant through pre-cum would be a lot more difficult than conceiving through sex. With intercourse, sperm and egg meet in a small amount of fertile cervical fluid in order to fertilize an egg that has already been released by your ovaries. Getting pregnant through precum requires either already being at ovulation or having intercourse right after you do—so many women wouldn’t even have enough time for pregnancy to occur before their next period arrived.

How Can I Prevent Pregnancy by Precum/Pre-Ejaculate During Foreplay Without Having Intercourse First?

Can you get pregnant from precum if you don’t have intercourse first? Not through precum itself, but any sperm that may be contained in pre-ejaculate can still be transferred to a woman’s cervix and cause pregnancy. A better question might be how to prevent pregnancy by precum—and there are plenty of safe options for doing so. Spermicide: In order to prevent conception when ejaculation takes place outside of a woman’s vagina, spermicide is typically used as a barrier method of contraception or in conjunction with another form of birth control like condoms or IUDs. These chemicals can help stop sperm from entering into your vagina, keeping you from getting pregnant.

Pregnancy Risks From Precum/Pre-Ejaculate (Spit)

Yes, it’s possible to get pregnant from precum (also known as pre-ejaculate or spit). While some sexually transmitted infections may be transmissible through precum, pregnancy is not—with one big exception. Sperm can live in a woman’s body for several days after intercourse and can fertilize an egg within 24 hours of being released in her body. If a woman has unprotected sex with multiple partners and then has unprotected sex with one of those partners again before she ovulates (usually about 12-16 days after her period), there is a chance that sperm from an earlier encounter could make its way into her reproductive tract and fertilize an egg. The odds of getting pregnant from precum are very low, but they’re not zero.

What If I Get Pregnant Through Precum/Pre-Ejaculate During Intercourse Or Foreplay?

If you’re worried about getting pregnant from precum, then you should know that a man’s pre-cum or pre-ejaculate (fluid released before ejaculation) does not always contain sperm. Some men have no sperm in their pre-ejaculate fluid. If there are sperm in your partner’s pre-ejaculate fluid, there is usually a low amount, and they may be sluggish and more likely to die outside of a woman’s body. Still, it is possible to get pregnant from precum if there are live sperm swimming around in it—it just takes longer for them to get where they need to go.

Best Tips For You & Your Partner

The more you know about pregnancy and conception, the better informed you can be about your (or your partner’s) chances of getting pregnant from precum. While it certainly is possible to get pregnant from precum, whether it’s likely or not varies from one couple to another. If you want to make informed decisions about when is an ideal time to try, it’s important that you familiarize yourself with all of your options.

Is it Possible for Sperm to Live Longer Than 24 Hours After Ejaculation?

Scientifically speaking, yes. Sperm that don’t get to fertilize an egg have to swim around in your body for up to 5 days after you have sex before they die off. However, there are things you can do to decrease your chances of getting pregnant if you have unprotected sex. If it’s not during ovulation, sperm can live inside a woman’s body for as long as 5 days waiting for their chance at fertilization.

Concluding Words

The fact is, chances are slim. The most common way for a woman to get pregnant, by far, is for her to have intercourse with a fertile man. The second most common way is through in vitro fertilization (IVF), where sperm and egg are brought together in a laboratory—in other words, it’s pretty much guaranteed that sperm and egg will meet. Yes, it’s possible for your partner’s pre-ejaculate fluid to contact his ejaculate and vice versa during sex (and yes, they should both be wearing condoms!). But there has never been a reported case of pregnancy resulting from an accidental transfer of semen between partners’ body parts.