Is it possible to get pregnant from lubricant and does it contain sperm? These are common questions for women who practice interrupted coitus. This method of contraception is not reliable, but if certain conditions are met, it reduces the risk of unplanned pregnancy.
What is male lubricant?
Male lubricant or pre-ejaculate is a transparent substance with a liquid consistency, with a whitish tint. It is released from the urethra of the penis during arousal. This adaptive, natural device ensures painless, smooth insertion of the penis into the vagina. With the help of this liquid, friction is reduced and the discomfort that a woman may experience at the very beginning of sexual intercourse will be reduced.
The volume of this fluid released during intercourse is small and may vary. On average - from 0. 1 to 5 ml. This parameter is determined by the individual characteristics of the male body. In some cases, the volume of lubricant is so small that a man may not even notice its presence. However, it is always released during an erection. For this reason, a logical question arises: is it possible to get pregnant from male lubricant?
What does male lubricant consist of?
Male lubricant performs a number of important functions. Among the main experts are:
- Elimination of the acidic environment inside the urethra, which is formed against the background of uric acid residues.
- The alkaline composition of the lubricant destroys acidic compounds in the vagina, which improves the movement of sperm and ejaculate through the woman’s genital tract.
The composition of male lubricant has not been fully studied. It is known that it is rich in alkaline compounds, which are a kind of stabilizers. They take an active part in the coagulation of sperm, which facilitates the process of fertilization and penetration of the ejaculate to the cervix. These are the main functions of male lubricant.
Does male lubricant contain seminal fluid?
The main question that interests women just starting sexual activity concerns whether there are sperm in male lubricant. To answer this, you need to understand where male lubricant comes from. It is secreted at the time of erection and stimulation by the Cooper glands, which are located in the groin area.
These formations do not communicate with the testicles, where the seminal fluid matures. Taking this into account, we can say with confidence that male lubricant does not contain germ cells, so pregnancy does not occur from this fluid. However, under certain conditions, you can become pregnant from a man’s lubricant, but such cases are rare and are the exception.
Is it possible to get pregnant from a man's lubricant?
Pre-ejaculate does not contain any genetic material or germ cells, so when a woman asks whether it is possible to get pregnant from the lubricant secreted by a man, doctors almost always answer in the negative. However, doctors cannot completely exclude this possibility.
Studies have shown that some men contained single sperm in the secreted lubricant. Their number is so small that in most cases it is not enough for fertilization.
Pregnancy from lubrication - in what cases?
Most modern experts claim that you can get pregnant from lubricant under certain conditions. This requires the simultaneous presence of several factors, so in practice, conception from pre-ejaculate practically does not occur.
The likelihood of getting pregnant from a man's lubricant increases in the following cases:
- a small amount of sperm remains in the vas deferens from previous sexual intercourse; the remaining sperm are carried out of the urethra along with pre-ejaculate;
- the day before the man had nocturnal emissions - arousal experienced during sleep;
- the man masturbated before engaging in sexual intercourse.
In these cases, some sperm always remains in the genital tract. Mixed with pre-ejaculate, it can enter the woman’s genital tract at the very beginning of sexual intercourse. It is worth noting that this probability is small and conception also depends on the quality of the male genetic material. However, doctors do not exclude this option, so the question of whether it is possible to get pregnant from male lubricant is answered positively.
What is the likelihood of getting pregnant from lubricant?
Having learned about whether it is possible to become pregnant from a man's lubricant, many women are interested in the degree of probability of such conception. According to medical observations, almost 20% of married couples became parents using interrupted coitus as a method of contraception. An important factor in this regard is the regularity of a woman’s menstrual cycle: for pregnancy to occur, sexual intercourse must occur during the period of ovulation, which occurs in the middle of the menstrual cycle. Given these features, whether it is possible to get pregnant from lubricant in a particular case is difficult to answer.
How to avoid getting pregnant from lubricant?
To ensure that pre-ejaculatory fluid does not contain sperm, men must adhere to the following rules:
- Toilet the genitals before each sexual intercourse, when they follow each other.
- Abstain from coitus interruptus in the middle of a woman's menstrual cycle.
- Use a condom from the very beginning of sexual intercourse.