What is pre-ejaculation? Is it sperm? Can you start with it? Is it high risk? Anything else besides being pregnant? Let's talk about everything in order.
What is pre-ejaculation?
Pre-ejaculate, he's pre-cum, he's pre-cum, he's also Cooper's fluid—the transparent secret that the penis releases in its sexually aroused state. Cooper's glands and Littre's glands are located near the urethra, the same duct through which sperm and urine leave the male body, and are believed to produce prespermia.
Pre-ejaculation prepares the urethra for the passage of semen, explains Amin Gerati, M. D. , a urologist at Johns Hopkins University. In fact, urine creates an acidic environment that is very unfavorable to sperm. Semen is needed to neutralize residual acidity and make the path of the seeds safe. In general, think of the precum as the artist's opening line for the show's main headliner.
Wait, is there sperm in sperm?
No, they don't live there. But if your partner ejaculates before intercourse—especially if he doesn't urinate afterward—those little tails of trouble can remain in the urethra. If all the stars align, Cooper's fluid is likely to carry live sperm into your vagina.
"Often that's not enough, " says Dr. Geraghty. "The chances of getting pregnant with premature ejaculation are very low, but by no means zero. "
There isn't as much research on this topic as we'd like. In 2013, the journal Human Fertility published the results of one of the studies: Scientists tested 40 pre-ejaculatory samples from 27 men. Viable sperm were found in the pre-semen of 41% of the participants. Admittedly, you can't call them top-notch: only 37 percent were able to move to the uterus.
All but one "sample" contained as many as 23 million sperm, the study's authors noted. Sounds ominous, but it's actually not a dire number. In 2010, the World Health Organization examined the semen of 1, 953 men who became pregnant within the past year, and only 2. 5% of the men had fewer than 23 million sperm in their semen.
Why are we still talking about pre-ejaculation?
Pre-sperm problems are often associated with the interrupt method (aka coitus interruptus - like the name of the dinosaur, no? ), which is often used by couples for birth control. It includes the fact that men pull the penis out of the vagina before ejaculating to minimize the risk of pregnancy.
As you can probably guess, this isn't the most effective protection: it's only 78% reliable under "normal" (non-ideal) performance. And it certainly doesn't prevent STDs. However, precum cannot be blamed for the dubiousness of the "do-it-yourself" approach: no studies can answer the question of when pregnancy occurs due to pre-semen, and when-due to sperm, a drop of sperm still ends up entering the vagina due to a man's carelessness.
So, the problem is not that the pre-semen contains a lot of sperm that can conceive. The point is that the interrupt method is difficult to use perfectly. If you're worried about two threads, choose a condom with a 2% failure rate. Also, make sure your partner puts on a condom before the penis enters your vagina.
If you're planning to interrupt, remember: it takes confidence in your lover. Are you sure he's in control and will always follow the rules you both set? Discussing the emergency contraceptive pill: don't forget it's more expensive than condoms, and if you take a break from your financial choice, you could be in trouble.
Of course, there are STDs. If you've both been tested and haven't had unprotected sex with anyone else, you've done everything you can to avoid the disease. But if you don't meet these two points, you must consider: there is no barrier for contraception, and it is easy to be stained with unpleasant things.
Infection can occur regardless of ejaculation. For example, gonorrhea and chlamydia are often shed from the genital tract and can spread the infection, while for some STDs, skin-to-skin contact is sufficient. Condoms don't prevent the latter, but they help reduce exposure.
Well, let's sum it up. Precum is a very interesting thing that has a specific purpose. Science can't yet confidently answer because of how much of a risk he is getting pregnant, but it doesn't matter. The bottom line is that if you rely on the interruption method and don't use condoms, you put yourself at risk for pregnancy and STDs. If the thought scares you, discuss it with your doctor: he'll help you choose the type of protection that best fits your lifestyle.