What is pre-ejaculation? Sperm or not? Can you start from it? Are the risks high? Is there anything other than pregnancy? Let's talk about everything in order.
What is pre-ejaculation?
Pre-ejaculation, it is pre-seminal fluid, it is also pre-sperm, it is Cooper's fluid - this is a transparent secret that is released from the penis in the state of sexual arousal. Cooper's glands and Littre's glands, located near the urethra, which is the same tube through which sperm and urine leave the male body, are believed to produce sperm first.
Johns Hopkins University urologist Amin Gerati explains that pre-cum prepares the urethra for sperm to pass through. The fact is that urine creates an acidic environment, which is very unpleasant for sperm. Preseminal fluid is needed to neutralize residual acidity and make the path safe for the seed. Generally, think of the precum as an artist opening the main headliner of the show.
Wait, so there's sperm in presemen?
No, they don't live there. But if your partner ejaculates before sex, especially if he doesn't urinate afterwards, these little tails of trouble can remain in the urethra. If all the stars align, Cooper's fluid may very well carry live sperm into your vagina.
"It's usually not enough, " says Dr. Geraghty. "The chance of pre-cum pregnancy is very low, but never zero. "
This topic is not being researched as much as we would like. In 2013, the journal Human Fertility published the results of one of them: scientists tested 40 pre-ejaculatory samples given by 27 men. Live spermatozoa were detected in the presemen of 41% of the participants. True, you cannot call them first-rate: only 37% were mobile enough to go to the uterus.
The authors of the study noted that all but one of the "samples" contained up to 23 million sperm. It sounds lucky, but it's not really a number to be afraid of. In 2010, the WHO examined the sperm of 1, 953 men who had become pregnant in the previous year, and only 2. 5% of these men had less than 23 million sperm in their semen.
And why are we even talking about pre-ejaculation?
The issue of pre-sperm is usually brought up in connection with the interruption method (aka coitus interruptus - right after the name of the dinosaur? ) that couples often use for contraception. It consists of the man removing his penis from the vagina immediately before ejaculation to minimize the risk of pregnancy.
As you probably guessed, this is not the most effective protection method: its reliability is only 78% with "normal" (not ideal) performance. And it certainly doesn't protect against STDs. But precum is not to blame for the dubiousness of the "do-it-yourself" method: there are no studies that can answer the question of when pregnancy occurs due to sperm, and when - due to a drop of sperm that still ends. up in the vagina due to the carelessness of the man.
So the problem isn't that pre-sperm contains a lot of sperm that you can get pregnant with. The problem is that it is very difficult to use the cutting method perfectly. If you are worried about two lines, choose condoms with a 2% failure rate. Also, make sure your partner wears a condom before his penis enters your vagina.
If you are going to ask for a break, then remember: it requires trust in your lover. Do you know for sure that he is in control and will always follow the rules you set together? Discuss emergency contraception: remember that it is more expensive than condoms, and if the break is chosen out of economy, it can be a problem.
And of course there are STDs. If both of you have been tested and are not having unprotected sex with other people, then you have done everything to avoid such diseases. But if these two points are not fulfilled, it should be taken into account: without barrier contraception, it is very easy to take something unpleasant.
And infection occurs regardless of ejaculation. For example, gonorrhea and chlamydia often have genital discharge that can transmit the infection, and for some STDs, skin-to-skin contact is sufficient. Condoms will not protect against the latter, but help reduce the number of contacts.
Well, let's conclude. Precum is a pretty interesting thing that serves a specific purpose. Science still can't confidently answer the question of how big the risk of getting pregnant is because of it, but that doesn't matter. The bottom line is that if you rely on the excision method and don't use condoms, you're putting yourself at risk for pregnancy and STDs. If this idea scares you, then discuss it with your doctor: he or she will help you choose the remedies that best suit your lifestyle.