Is it possible to get pregnant from lube and does it contain sperm? These are the 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 lube?
Male lubricant or pre-ejaculate is a transparent substance with a liquid consistency, with a white tint. It is released from the penile urethra during arousal. This adaptive, natural device ensures painless and 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 beginning of sexual intercourse is reduced.
The volume of this fluid released during sexual intercourse is small and can 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 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 sperm movement and ejaculation through the woman's genital tract.
The composition of male lubricant has not been fully studied. It is known to be rich in alkaline compounds, which are a type of stabilizer. They take an active part in sperm coagulation, which facilitates the fertilization process and penetration of the ejaculate into the cervix. These are the main functions of male lubricant.
Does male lube contain semen?
The main question that interests women who have just started sexual activity is whether there is sperm in the male lubricant. To answer that, you need to understand where male lubricant comes from. It is secreted at the moment of erection and stimulation by the Cooper glands, which are located in the groin area.
These formations do not communicate with the testes, 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 get 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 if it is possible to get pregnant from the lubricant secreted by a man, doctors almost always answer in the negative. However, doctors cannot completely rule out 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 lube under certain conditions. This requires the simultaneous presence of several factors, so in practice, conception before ejaculation practically does not occur.
The chance 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 spermatozoa are removed from the urethra together with the pre-ejaculate;
- the day before the man had nocturnal emissions - awakening experienced during sleep;
- the man masturbated before having sex.
In these cases, part of the sperm always remains in the genital tract. Mixed with pre-ejaculate, it can enter the woman's genital tract at the 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 possibility, so the question of whether it is possible to get pregnant from male lubricant is answered positively.
What are the odds of getting pregnant from lube?
After learning whether it is possible to get pregnant from a man's lubricant, many women are interested in the degree of probability of such a 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, intercourse must occur during the ovulation period, 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, it is difficult to answer.
How to avoid pregnancy from lubricant?
To ensure that the pre-ejaculatory fluid does not contain sperm, men must adhere to the following rules:
- The toilet of the genitals before each sexual intercourse, when they follow each other.
- Refrain from coitus interruptus in the middle of a woman's menstrual cycle.
- Use a condom at the beginning of sexual intercourse.