Can You Get Pregnant from Swallowing Semen?

So, you’re fooling around with your partner…

Maybe you’ve been enjoying other ways of being intimate, rather than just penetrative sex.

Cue, oral sex. ✨

There’s a lot of pleasure that can be gained from a bit of oral sex every once in a while, and it’s a fun way to switch things up from just penetration.

But, can you get pregnant from oral sex?

Well, we’ll keep it clear for you from the get-go — nope, it’s not possible to get pregnant from swallowing sperm.

Let’s jump right in and explore the how’s and why’s of safe oral sex with your partner.

In this article: 📝

What happens when you swallow cum?

Well, kind of… nothing, to be honest.

Swallowing sperm would follow the same path through your digestive system that anything else would — whether that’s food, drink, or any type of body fluids. 💦

Your digestive system isn’t connected to the reproductive system, so sperm has no way of reaching your eggs. 🥚

And, by swallowing, the cum wouldn’t come (pardon the pun… 😅) into contact with your vagina at all…

So, it’s actually one of the safer ways for your partner to finish if you’re not trying to conceive, as it limits any risk of semen floating around near the vaginal area. 🙅‍♀️

If you drink sperm, will you get pregnant?

Nope — there’s no way for the sperm to make it down to your reproductive systems and, crucially, your eggs, from oral sex.

As we know, any accidental run-ins between semen and the vagina can result in pregnancy…

But, by swallowing, it does kind of alleviate that problem! 💁‍♀️

Does oral prevent pregnancy?

In most cases, yes, having oral sex is likely to prevent you from getting pregnant.

The only case this wouldn’t be true is if you had penetrative vaginal intercourse before, or after — as then, you’d run the usual risks of becoming pregnant.

Or, if your partner has semen in their mouth and performs oral sex on you, you could also have a chance of getting pregnant.

But, if you're after the foreplay only?

Then you should be fine — and you can pretty much rule pregnancy off the cards completely, as long as you keep your vagina clear of any semen spillages throughout (before, during, and after!).

How long does sperm survive in oral sex?

We know that sperm can live inside the vagina for up to five days.

And it can’t survive for more than 30 minutes outside of the body…

But, how long can it survive in your mouth?

Well, it’s a little unclear…

Some suggest that sperm can’t survive in the mouth for very long at all, and survive for a few minutes at best.

But there haven’t been any studies to prove this theory…

So, although we can assume sperm doesn’t last very long in your mouth, if you’d rather not have to worry about it either way, just give your mouth a little rinse out afterwards and you can relax.

🔍 Get clued up on oral: Does Saliva Kill Sperm?

Can you get pregnant if your partner fingers you with cum on their hands?

Yes, it is possible.

It's especially true if they have fresh semen on their hands, but if it's dried, chances are, the sperm in the semen has died.

And once semen comes into contact with the air, it starts to dry — it's no surprise that semen thrive in warm, moist environments, if you know what we mean. 😏

So if you don't want to get pregnant, to be safe, if you or your partner has semen on your (or their) hands, it’s best to wash with soap and warm water, just in case. 🧼

Is unprotected oral sex risky?

Well, that depends on the angle you’re looking at it from (again, pardon the pun… 😅).

Is it risky that you may get pregnant?

Not so much, no.

But is it risky in other ways, such as contracting STIs?

It certainly can be.

You can contract many sexually transmitted diseases or infections (AKA STDs or STIs) through oral sex, such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis…

So, it’s important that he wears a condom, or you wear a female condom, if you want to prevent any risk.

These STIs can be spread to the mouth or throat, and you can also get them around genitals if the person performing oral sex on you has an infection in their mouth or throat.

You can also have an STI in more than one area at a time — in your vulva, vagina, in your mouth and throat, and anus...

Doesn’t sound so fun now, does it? 🫣

So it's super important to have regular STI screenings, to be on the safe side.

🔍 Read more: Can You Get Pregnant Without Having Sex? 🤔

So, now you know all the deets on whether you can get pregnant from swallowing semen, you can get back down to it (only if you want to, of course)!

Anytime you need guidance around personal topics like this, our Community of like-minded women is here — day or night. ❤️

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