Um, can I get pregnant if…?

Two people standing on sidewalk in an embrace.

Um, can I get pregnant if…?

by Grace Shih, MD, MAS

Main takeaways:

  • You can get pregnant any time during your cycle.
  • You can get pregnant if you have sex in a hot tub.
  • You can get pregnant if you have sex standing up, or in any other position.

Most people have a pregnancy scare at some point. Even when you know how pregnancy happens, most textbooks don’t cover what (other than vaginal sex) could result in pregnancy. Here are eight questions you may have, and our best answers for each. 

CAN I GET PREGNANT IF I HAVE SEX RIGHT BEFORE, RIGHT AFTER, OR DURING MY PERIOD?

Yes, yes, and yes! You’re most likely to get pregnant if you have sex around the time of ovulation, but it is possible to get pregnant at any time during your cycle.

WHAT IF HE FINGERED ME AND THERE WAS SEMEN OR PRE-CUM ON HIS FINGERS?

Yes, you can get pregnant. Pre-cum, or pre-ejaculate, has less sperm than regular ejaculate, but you may still be able to get pregnant.

CAN I GET PREGNANT FROM SEX TOYS?

If semen is on a sex toy and it enters your vagina, you can get pregnant.

WHAT IF I HAVE SEX IN A POOL OR HOT TUB?

Yes, pregnancy is possible. The heat or chlorine in a hot tub will not kill sperm or make it more difficult for sperm to swim. Once the penis ejaculates inside the vagina—whether you are in a pool, hot tub, or romantic, candle-lit bedroom—you can get pregnant!

CAN I GET PREGNANT FROM ORAL SEX? ANAL SEX?

No. For a pregnancy to occur, semen must travel through the vagina and the cervix (the opening to the uterus). The mouth and butt are not connected to the vagina, so there’s no way for sperm to meet an egg.  

DOES THE WOMAN HAVE TO HAVE AN ORGASM TO GET PREGNANT?

No. Orgasms are not related to when an egg is released.

I HAD SEX STANDING UP, SO WON’T GRAVITY STOP THE SPERM FROM SWIMMING?

No. Sperm can swim up, down, sideways, in all directions, so you can get pregnant no matter how creative you get with positions. 

IF YOU’RE WORRIED...

If it's been less than five days since the act in question, you might want to take emergency contraception

If it's been longer than five days since you had unprotected sex, you can buy an inexpensive pregnancy test at most drug or dollar stores. You should wait at least 10 days to take a test, and results are more accurate if you wait until a few days after you expect your next period.

Grace Shih, MD, MAS, is an Assistant Professor at University of Washington. She completed her family medicine residency at Brown University and her family planning fellowship at University of California, San Francisco. When she's not seeing patients, you can find her cooking, playing guitar, or traveling with her family.
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