Does Precum Actually Contain Sperm Is It Going To Get You Pregnant Here’s The Truth According To Two Reproductive Experts
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Before ejaculation occurs, the male reproductive system releases pre-ejaculate , which is a type of lubrication produced specifically for sex. Pre-cum alone technically does not contain sperm, so the chances of getting pregnant from precum are pretty low. However, they’re not 100% zero either.
Whether withdrawal is your main birth control method or it’s a method you occasionally rely on, here’s what you need to know about sperm, precum, and semen when it comes to your chances of getting pregnant.
Risks Of Pregnancy After The Age Of 35 Years
Pregnancy at 45 years is not a frequent occurrence, and when it happens, both you and the baby should be considered high risk. Getting pregnant while older comes with an increased risk of gestational trophoblastic, a rare disease in which abnormal cells grow in the uterus after you conceive. It also comes with the risk of spontaneous abortion and abnormalities in the unborn child.
Getting pregnant after the age of 35 also puts you at risk of:
- Preeclampsia, which is a complication that causes high blood pressure and organ failure
But You Still Should Have A Birth Control Plan
Though your chances of unexpectedly getting pregnant are greatly reduced if you fall into one of these categories, they aren’t nonexistent. If you want to avoid pregnancy, it’s best to have an effective birth control method in place that you will use correctly and consistently.
And since no form of birth control method outside of abstinence is 100% effective, you may also want to have a backup such as emergency contraceptives like the morning after pill on hand.
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You’re Over 44 Years Old
Thanks to that good-old biological clock, a person’s chances of getting pregnant wane over time. People with ovaries are born with some 1 million to 2 million eggs there are only about 300,000 left when they get their first period and 25,000 left by their late 30s. This means that the chances of becoming pregnant in their early 40s are pretty slim, though not impossible.
“As we get closer to 40, the ticking of our biological clock becomes louder, and by 44, it can be deafening,” Dr. Ross says. “Fertility decreases by as much as 95% in women between 40 and 45 years of age.”
You’re On Birth Control
Hormonal birth control methodswhether it’s the pill, patch, ring, implant, shot, or IUDgreatly decrease your chances of conception but don’t eliminate your chances altogether. These methods work in various ways. For example, IUDs block sperm from reaching the egg, while the pill, ring, and patch prevent ovulation, explains Dr. Brauer. Even if you’re committed to taking your birth control, you still have to use it correctly and consistently.
Also, if you rely on contraceptive pills, take note: Some pill packs contain four to seven days of inactive pills that don’t contain any hormones. On rare occasions, this may be long enough to allow for the recruitment of a mature egg. “This is often referred to as ‘escape ovulation’ and is one reason for oral hormonal contraception failure,” says Dr. Brauer. Missing doses of hormonal contraception could also increase the chances of accidental pregnancy.
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How Do You Know If Youre Pregnant
While the only way to find out for sure is to visit your GP, this quiz will let you know the likelihood of pregnancy based on your current symptoms.
Can’t see the quiz?
If you are trying for a baby or think you might have conceived, you’ll probably be on the watch for pregnancy signs. Small changes in the way you feel both physically and emotionally can be detected as early as a week after conception and some women report ‘feeling pregnant’ long before their changing hormone levels are picked up on a test.
Healthy Body Healthy Pregnancy
Before trying to get pregnant, you should try to be as healthy as possible. In fact, most doctors will recommend that you make an appointment with your obstetrician before youre pregnant.
At this preconception visit, youll talk about existing health problems and get screened for genetic diseases. You can also address other health concerns you might have.
Your doctor might recommend that you make lifestyle changes before you get pregnant. These might include:
- getting to a healthy weight
- improving diet/exercise habits
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How Can I Prepare For Pregnancy If I Have Diabetes
If you have diabetes, keeping your blood glucose as close to normal as possible before and during your pregnancy is important to stay healthy and have a healthy baby. Getting checkups before and during pregnancy, following your diabetes meal plan, being physically active as your health care team advises, and taking diabetes medicines if you need to will help you manage your diabetes. Stopping smoking and taking vitamins as your doctor advises also can help you and your baby stay healthy.
Start Tracking Your Menstrual Cycle
Each new menstrual cycle is marked by the first day of your period. And tracking your cycle along with any daily symptoms youre experiencing can be incredibly helpful. Why?
Tracking your cycle helps you get to know your body better, including how long your cycle is. The length of your cycle is what determines your fertile window, which well get to in the next section.
Tracking the symptoms you experience such as changes in sex drive, mood or cervical mucus can help you identify patterns throughout your cycle, including what you typically experience leading up to your most fertile days.
How do you get started? When your next period arrives, start tracking since that is Day 1 of your cycle. You can keep a journal and write things down, or you can use mobile apps such as Fertility Friend and Clue.
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How Hard Is It To Get Pregnant While On Your Period
It is possible to get pregnant by having sex on your period, but the chances are extremely low. The exact risk depends upon the length of your cycle. Though length can vary from cycle to cycle, you can get an estimate of when you are typically most fertile by tracking your cycle.
Chances Of Getting Pregnant During Your Period
Can i get pregnant if i have intercourse during menstruation? Yes. It is possible to get pregnant if you have intercourse during your period. Though the chances are very slim.
Normal period in women last for 2 to 7 days. Menstrual cycle, which is the difference between two period, occurs every 21 35 days.
Ovulation, which is the process of egg release from your ovaries, occurs every 14 to 16 days before your next period. Therefore, if you have a long 35 day cycle, you are expected to ovulate between day 19 and 21 after your period starts.
However, if you have a short 21 day menstrual cycle, then you can ovulate between 5 7 days after your period starts.
Normal male sperm can live up to 5 days. This means that, if you have a short menstrual cycle, then intercourse during your period can get you pregnant.
In a 21 days cycle, you are expected to ovulate on the 7th day after menstruation starts. If you have intercourse, then you may likely get pregnant.
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The Role Of Age In Fertility
Age plays an important role in fertility. Your chances of being able to get pregnant naturally start to lower slightly in your late 20s, and considerably in your late 30s. Once you hit 40, your chances of conceiving can drop to 5-10%. By the age of 45, the chance of pregnancy drops to less than 5%.
These are statistics for the general population, but theres always room for outliers. There are instances where a 24-year-old can be struggling to conceive, while older women approaching menopause can have an unexpected pregnancy.
Odds Of Getting Pregnant: Pregnancy Probability Statistics
What are the odds of getting pregnant? The probability of pregnancy is a common concern for both those trying and trying not to conceive, and unfortunately, thats not a simple question. Worse, most folks dont want just a not likely or probably. They want a numbera statistical chance of pregnancy. Here at Life with Gremlins, we have a page explaining the basics of how to get an idea of your odds of getting pregnant. We even have a quiz that will give you an answer on a continuum from no chance to high, but in an effort to give you that specific number youre looking for, now were going to delve into the complicated world of conception statistics.
Where to start? Well, how about when you did, intercourse timing.
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How Likely Is It I Will Get Pregnant
These are the kinds of sex that give you a reasonable chance of falling pregnant:
- Unprotected penetrative sex .
- Any contact between fresh sperm and the vagina.
- When a condom breaks.
- Using the withdrawal method.
- Sex in any position, including missionary, doggy-style, and standing up.
- When you have missed a birth control pill or taken them incorrectly
How To Get Pregnant
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For the best chance of getting pregnant, you need to get your eggs and your partner’s sperm together as often as possible.
More than 8 out of 10 couples where the woman is aged under 40 will get pregnant within one year if they have regular unprotected sex. More than 9 out of 10 couples will get pregnant within two years.
Regular, unprotected sex means having sex every 2 to 3 days without using contraception.
You don’t need to time having sex only around ovulation, though it is helpful to know when you are ovulating. Having vaginal sex every 2 to 3 days will give you the best chance of getting pregnant. Sperm can live for 2 to 3 days and this means there will always be fresh sperm in your system when you ovulate .
Remember its important for you and your partner to try and keep sex enjoyable by concentrating on each other and your relationship, rather than worrying about conceiving. This will help you limit stress.
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Overweight And Fertility In Men
Being very overweight or obese can also reduce a mans fertility. This is likely due to a combination of factors including:
- problems with erection
- other health conditions linked to obesity.
Weight loss in men who are overweight or obese can significantly increase total sperm count and quality. Reaching a healthier weight at least 3 months before conception can improve the chance of conception. This is because sperm take about 3 months to develop and being in the healthy weight range during this time helps develop healthy sperm.
Normal Way To Get Pregnant
If you wish to get pregnant, then you should have regular intercourse during your fertile mucus or fertile window.
What is your fertile mucus? Your fertile mucus is cervical mucus from your vagina that indicate when ovulation will occur. Intercourse during this type of vaginal discharge may get you pregnant.
What is ovulation?Ovulation is the process of egg release from your ovaries. This egg when fertilized by the sperm will make you pregnant. Learning your ovulation discharge can help you detect when ovulation will occur.
When is your fertile window? Your fertile window are 6 days you can get pregnant during your menstrual cycle.
If you are trying to prevent pregnancy, then you should avoid intercourse during your fertile window. If you want to get pregnant, then you need to have regular intercourse during your fertile days.
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How Hard Is It To Get Pregnant While Using Withdrawal
Withdrawal is about 96% effective with perfect use and 82% effective with typical use. If you really want to avoid pregnancy, choose a different contraceptive method . Planned Parenthood reports that when the withdrawal method is used perfectly every time, 4 out of 100 people will get pregnant. But since it is nearly impossible to get right every time, the number of people who get pregnant using withdrawal is closer to 22 out of 100 people, or 1 in 5.
When Can I Take The Morning After Emergency Contraception Pill
There is a special morning after pill that you can take up to five days after having sex, though it is most effective within the first 72 hours. The sooner you use it, the more chance that you won’t have an unwanted pregnancy.
“There are no medical contraindications for Plan B use the way there may be for other hormonal birth control options,” says Dr. Prince. “That means even if a woman has a medical condition which would increase her risk for adverse effects if a hormonal birth control option is used long-term, the same does not hold true for Plan B as it is a one-time use versus long-term use.”
The pill works by causing an early abortion if you are pregnant. It is usually more expensive than birth control tablets that are taken before sex.
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When Am I Most Fertile
- A woman is most fertile 7-14 days after her period ends. This is called ovulation.
- A woman is least fertile just before her period begins.
- Every woman ovulates at different times and has a different length cycle. This means that even if you have sex when you are least fertile, chances are you may still fall pregnant.
What Are My Chances Of Becoming Pregnant
One of the biggest misconceptions about sex and pregnancy is that it is difficult to get pregnant. While it is undeniable that many women have trouble conceiving when they want to, the fact is that unplanned and unexpected pregnancies are a regular occurance. If youre sexually active you owe it to yourself and your partner to know about the chances of becoming pregnant and what you should do next.
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Positions Orgasms And Lube
There are a lot of myths about sex, fertility, and how to make pregnancy more likely. Some of these recommend different positions or keeping the hips elevated after sex for a period of time.
Others claim that if the woman orgasms , conception is more likely. Unfortunately, there are no studies that support these claims.
The one thing you should think about is your lubricant. Certain products can decrease sperm motility and viability. These are important when trying to get pregnant.
Youll want to avoid:
- Astroglide
If you need to use a lubricant, try:
- Pre-Seed
These products wont interfere with your partners sperm.
Unprotected Sex Can I Get Pregnant
Susannah Birch is a certified birth doula, journalist, and owner of Trimester Talk, a leading pregnancy website.
REVIEWED BYDr. Tami Prince, Ob/Gyn, Women’s Health and Wellness Center of Georgia
Didn’t use a condom? It only happened one time? What are the chances of getting pregnant without protection?
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Is There A Chance Of Conceiving If You’re Currently On Birth Control
Chances are, if you’re currently using birth control, you’re not TTC but how successful your birth control method is at preventing pregnancy differs significantly based on what you’re using.
The effectiveness of birth control methods are measured in two ways:
- One way focuses on perfect use .
- The other focuses on typical use . Below, we’ll focus on this way of measuring because of its real-world relevance.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , the least effective birth control method is spermicide of couples who only use this method over the course of a year, 28 out of 100 will experience an unintended pregnancy within the first year of typical use.
This number falls to 18 out of 100 over the course of a year for condoms, and further drops to 9 out of 100 for the pill, the patch, and the ring. While a 9 in 100 failure rate seems high for these hormone-based methods, it’s important to remember that this rate takes into account user error. Because women don’t always take the pill as directed or replace their patches and rings on schedule, failure rates for these methods are higher than they would be with perfect use.
What Are The Chances Of Getting Pregnant At 45 Or Older
Your chances of conceiving decrease as you age. It’s natural for you to worry about becoming pregnant when you are past what is considered the fertile and reproductive age, which is below 35 years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that about 30% of women between ages 40 and 44 have infertility issues.
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Pregnancy If You Have Diabetes
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If you have diabetes and plan to have a baby, you should try to get your blood glucose levels close to your target range before you get pregnant.
Staying in your target range during pregnancy, which may be different than when you arent pregnant, is also important. High blood glucose, also called blood sugar, can harm your baby during the first weeks of pregnancy, even before you know you are pregnant. If you have diabetes and are already pregnant, see your doctor as soon as possible to make a plan to manage your diabetes. Working with your health care team and following your diabetes management plan can help you have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.
If you develop diabetes for the first time while you are pregnant, you have gestational diabetes.
