Can pre-cum get you pregnant?

By Kendall @ Planned Parenthood | Jan. 22, 2021, 8:43 p.m.

Can pre-cum get you pregnant?

The chances of getting pregnant from pre-cum are pretty low — but it is possible.

Pre-cum (also known as pre-ejaculate) is a small amount of fluid that comes out of your penis when you’re turned on, but before you ejaculate (cum). Oozing pre-cum is involuntary — you can’t control when it comes out, and you might not be able to feel it happening.

Pre-cum doesn’t usually have any sperm in it. But some people may have a small amount of sperm in their pre-cum. If there is sperm in someone’s pre-cum, and that pre-cum gets into your vagina, it could possibly fertilize an egg and lead to pregnancy.

There’s no way to know when there is or isn’t sperm in pre-cum — that’s one reason why the withdrawal method (pulling out) isn’t the best at preventing pregnancy, even if they pull out before they ejaculate (cum).

If you want to prevent pregnancy, put on a condom before your penis and vagina touch. Even better, use both condoms and another kind of birth control together.

Tags: pregnancy, pre-cum, pre-ejaculate