What is precum

Many people wonder whether a woman can get pregnant from pre-ejaculate fluid. The answer is yes — although this is not common. Typically, precum does not contain any sperm. However, if a man has ejaculated recently, sperm cells might still be found in the urethra and mix with the pre-ejaculate fluid. Precum occurs during sexual arousal before an orgasm. It lubricates the urethra and neutralizes its acidic levels, making a safe passageway for semen to exit.

Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sperm content of pre-ejaculatory fluid. Hum Fertil Camb. Butler Tobah Y. Can you get pregnant from pre-ejaculation fluid?

Mayo Clinic. October 20, Int J Androl. Perspect Sex Reprod Health. Pre-ejaculatory fluid as potential vector for sexual transmission of HIV Preexposure chemoprophylaxis for hiv prevention in men who have sex with men. New England Journal of Medicine. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellHealth. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data.

We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. Table of Contents View All. Table of Contents. Where It Comes From. What Does Precum Do? How Much Is Normal? Pregnancy Risk. Disease Risk.

Recap Precum and semen both exit through the ureter. Recap Precum can transmit sexually transmitted infections like chlamydia and HIV. Medically reviewed by Debra Rose Wilson, Ph. Does pre-cum have sperm? When does pre-cum happen? Emergency contraception When to take a pregnancy test See your doctor Takeaway We include products we think are useful for our readers.

Is pregnancy possible? When does pre-cum occur? Options for emergency contraception. When to take a home pregnancy test. When to see your doctor. The bottom line. Read this next. Medically reviewed by Justin Choi, MD. Pills, IUD, and More. Emergency Contraception: What to Do Afterward. Medically reviewed by Rachel Liberto, R. ParaGard vs. Medically reviewed by Deborah Weatherspoon, Ph. Can precum cause pregnancy? Precum itself should not contain any sperm and can therefore not cause pregnancy on its own.

However, an earlier ejaculation either from sex, masturbation, etc. This sperm can get flushed out by precum aka, the precum would then contain sperm , and together would have a chance to cause pregnancy. Urinating can flush out any leftover sperm in the urethra. If people do this before having sex, then there should be no sperm in the urethra to be flushed out instead by the precum.