Can you get pregnant from precum? The simple answer is, yes.
Precum is a lubricating fluid released from the penis when a man is turned on.
Releasing precum is not voluntary, so the man can't stop or control it, even if they can control when they ejaculate. It's also important to note that you probably won't realise when precum enters your vagina.
Precum doesn't usually contain semen, but some semen can leak into it, and this means you could get pregnant if it gets into your vagina.
Pregnancy from precum is more likely to occur:
- around the time of ovulation
- if you're not using a reliable method of birth control
- if you're not using your birth control properly.
Is the pull-out method effective?
The pull-out method, also known as the withdrawal method, is when a man pulls out his penis during sex before ejaculating.
The idea is that pulling out means the sperm won’t reach his partner’s egg, so this is used as a form of contraception.
But it's not an effective form of contraception, not least because there's a chance that precum may become contaminated with sperm.
Even using the pull-out method during your non-fertile days isn't a full-proof way of preventing pregnancy.
Practising safe sex
There’s no way of knowing if there's sperm in pre-cum, so that’s one reason why the pull-out method isn’t the best at preventing pregnancy.
If you want to prevent pregnancy, always use a condom and to be extra safe, combine that with another form of contraception, like the pill.
So, while precum itself likely doesn't contain much - if any - viable sperm, it only takes one sperm to fertilize an egg.
If you're sexually active and don't want to get pregnant, talk to your healthcare professional about the best birth control options for you.