eTopical Precious Finds
Sex is and has always been a taboo topic. Since sex is such a taboo topic a lot of people aren’t comfortable talking about it, leading to a lot of misinformation surrounding the topic of sex. Sex education throughout the public school system doesn’t help the confusion either, with only 13 states requiring that their sex education classes be medically accurate. When schools aren’t obligated to tell you the truth and you’re too scared to ask your friends or family, where do you turn?
The internet. With its seemingly endless resources of information, millions of people turn to their favorite search engine in order to answer their biggest question. In this article, we’ll be addressing some of the most asked questions surrounding sex and exactly how you get pregnant. Each of the questions will begin with the phrase “Can you get pregnant from-” and then a popular search engine will autocomplete the rest.
Let’s get started.
- “Can you get pregnant from having sex on your period?”
Almost every girl has had this question at some point in time. At the end of the day, it completely depends on your ovulation cycle. This is the time period in which an egg is released from a girl’s ovaries. This means that you’re most likely to conceive during this time. Ovulation usually occurs about two weeks before your period begins. This is somewhere between day 11 and day 21 of your menstrual cycle. (The first day of your period is day 1.) This egg only survives for about 24 hours, and then it disintegrates.
If you have a typical 28-32-day cycle, then you’re probably not going to get pregnant during your period. It’s possible, but the changes are very slim. If your cycle is atypical, then there is a slight possibility. It all depends on the timing of when you have sex and your normal ovulation period. Also, be sure to remember that sperm can stay alive in the body for three to five days before fertilizing an egg. That means if you have sex during your period, there’s a real possibility that you’ll get pregnant at some time after if your ovulation period syncs up.
On the third day of your cycle, your reproductive hormones, progesterone and estrogen, begin to rise to help your uterine lining rebuild. If you have sex during your period and end up ovulating immediately after, then you may become pregnant. It’s all about knowing the timing of your body.
In short, it’s very unlikely to get pregnant during your period; but it’s surely not impossible.
- “Can you get pregnant from precum?”
Again, it depends. The term refers to the pre-ejaculate fluid that’s released from the penis due to sexual stimulation. It lubricates the urethra for ejaculation and makes it easier for sperm to be released. The questions of whether there’s sperm in pre-ejaculate fluid and if there’s enough sperm to get someone pregnant, are important, but not highly-researched questions. Three studies that were done decades ago, concluded that there isn’t any sperm in pre-ejaculate fluid. But there were only 43 guys analyzed in all three of those studies combined. That’s not exactly the biggest and most accurate sample size that you can have.
In one study done surrounding 27 men, 11 of them had sperm in the pre-ejaculate fluid. The consensus about this question seems to be that some guys have sperm in their pre-ejaculate fluid, and some don’t. In turn, it’s very hard to come to a conclusive answer about whether you can get pregnant from precum. So, the answer to, “Can you get pregnant from precum?” is maybe. But you shouldn’t let a maybe dictate whether you’re going to have unprotected sex. If you’re trying to avoid pregnancy, it’s important to use condoms whenever penetration is intended, so you don’t have to worry about precum; you can just focus on enjoying the sexual experience.
- “Can you get pregnant from a toilet seat?”
Absolutely not. Toilet seats do carry tons of bacteria, but they don’t have the ability to get you pregnant. Even if someone ejaculates directly onto the toilet seat, the chances of that sperm staying alive for more than a couple of minutes is very low. Sperm are very delicate creatures and will dry out in minutes when they’re exposed to oxygen. Once the sperm dries out, it’s dead.
In order to get pregnant, a woman’s vagina must make significant contact with wet semen, to the point that the semen penetrates the vagina. The chances of you getting pregnant from a toilet seat are nearly zero percent. You can’t get sexually transmitted diseases from a toilet seat either.
- “Can you get pregnant from anal sex?”
No, there isn’t a link between the anus and a woman’s reproductive organs. But, if there’s sperm near the vagina, there’s a chance that your partner can accidentally insert the sperm into the vagina. This could happen because of anything, from ejaculation near the vagina to using a sex toy. The chances are very slim, but it’s possible. Fertilization (and pregnancy) only requires one single sperm.
Even though you can’t get pregnant from anal sex, it’s important to remember that you can get a sexually-transmitted disease (STI) from it.
- “Can you get pregnant from oral sex?”
No, you can’t. Even though sperm can stay alive from three to five days in your vagina, there’s no way that sperm can stay alive in your digestive tract. It’s just not possible. Whether you’re giving or receiving it, there’s no way that you can get pregnant from it. But, just like anal sex, you’re at risk of contracting STIs while partaking in oral sex.
These are only a few of the misconceptions about sex and getting pregnant. It’s important to remember that there are no stupid questions when you’re looking to get informed. If you have a question about sex, be sure to speak up. You deserve to know the truth about sex so you can make more informed decisions about your sex life in the future.
