Question about Fingering and Semen

[gortiz]

If a small amount of semen (not pre-ejaculate) were to be present on the finger prior to fingering your partner, would there be chance for pregnancy?

And also if the same little amount of semen was rubbed on clothes a bit and in the air for 2-3 minutes, would there be chance for pregnancy?

Finally, would the chances from the two acts above fluctuate on ovulation day?

I am asking this question as I have seen the past article written, where it states one should would not get pregnant from contact like this with pre-ejaculate. So I wonder what if were semen (ejaculate)?

[Sam W]

Hi gortiz,

If there is clothing present, then this being ejaculate instead of pre-ejaculate does not change the risk. And unless someone ejaculates on a hand and then that hand is immediately placed in the vaginal canal or on the vulva--a movement that's going to be deliberate, not accidental--then the risk from manual sex does not change either.

As far as ovulation goes, it can't make there be a risk from an activity that doesn't pose a pregnancy risk in the first place. You can read way more about that here: Let's Dial Down Some (Maybe) Ovulation Freakouts

[gortiz]

Thank you for the answer to that question. I also have one more question regarding something I read online,

If a condom to be placed incorrectly and were to touch the head of a penis and the person flipped it to the correct side and put it on, if there were pre-ejaculate present on the outside of the condom, what would be the risk of pregnancy then?

Thank you.

[Heather]

This presents the same small risk of pregnancy that any exposure to pre-ejaculate does, and, perhaps obviously, would also present possible STI risks. So, when and if a condom is put on the worng way, you never want to do that. Instead, you want to toss that condom and use a fresh one.

[gortiz]

Thank you, I will do that from now on. This was the first and only time and just wondered what the risks were, though I probably should not worry.

[gortiz]

Actually I have one more question, if ovulation were to occur shortly after, it would it make the risk greater, I ask because the day after my partner felt cramping around the middle of her cycle, unless like the first situation where it would not make it more likely due to the risk already being small/low. Thank you, I’m using this to learn about sex ed from this experience.

[Heather]

So, unless your partner has had regular cycles for at least a few years and knows how to track her ovulation, there's really no point in trying to figure any of this out around that. That's just going to be so speculative as to be useless. Plus, if this is something that already happened, there's nothing you can do about it from here anyway, you know? Again, in the future, if something like this happens, you need to just not flip a condom over like that.

How about we talk about what you can actually do from here? Can you tell me when this happened and how your partner is feeling about it all?

[gortiz]

This happened on June 5th where we had protected sex and it was our first time, the next day June 6th, she said she felt cramping that day around her pelvis, the day after that she took Plan B and it looks like it she hasn’t gotten any of the immediate side effects, overall I feel it bothers her, but she is staying calm and not overly worried about it, because as she said the chance of pregnancy from a small amount of pre-ejaculate on the tip of a condom may not cause pregnancy. This is what happened, and I guess I was thinking maybe the cramps were caused by ovulation, though as you said it may not be that, so I came to ask about the risk because if it were ovulation it would deem Plan B ineffective.

[gortiz]

Also I doubt this highly matters, but only the tip was inserted because she said it hurt as we are virgins.

[KierC]

Hi there Gortiz,

Plan B would still be effective in this scenario, however as Heather and Sam said, there is (EDIT: low risk, not no risk) to pregnancy here. Cramping can be caused by a number of factors, and may be related to either painful sex or the menstrual cycle.

On the condom flip: here’s a helpful resource to ensure proper condom use going forward. Condom Basics: A User’s Manual

How does all of that sound? What do you think would be helpful for support going forward?

[gortiz]

Sounds good, thank you for your answers it’s good to know that what we have done is only a small of close to no risk of pregnancy, and about the cramps you are probably right, there is no sure way of knowing. It could have been the sex or stress she could have endured, I will definitely make sure to not make a mistake like the condom again. Even if it has a small risk, I’d rather not play roulette at such a young age.

[Heather]

I don't know that I'd think of this as roulette, honestly. But for sure, if we want the methods of birth control or STI prevention we're using to be the most effective they can be, it's important we use them correctly. I do also want to add that it doesn't matter how much of the penis is inserted into or otherwise has contact with the vulva for pregnancy and STI risks to exist: any direct genital-to-genital contact presents those risks.

How is your partner feeling about condom use and then Plan B, if needed, as what you two are using for prevention?

[gortiz]

Would you say it’s not roulette as the chances may be higher or lower, and also regarding what we use for birth control this being the only time we had intercourse we only used a condom and we felt safe apart from the possibility of potential precum outside of the condom, but this shook us a bit and instead decided to abstain from intercourse until shes is on birth control, like the pill alongside using a condom. Regarding the Plan B, it has made her feel better where she feels more peace of mind.

[KierC]

Hi there Gortiz,

I think assessing the risks involved with any sexual activity is maybe not much like roulette because sexual risk isn’t a binary “win or lose” scenario. When taking into account various sources of risk like STI and pregnancy, you’ll find that with each activity, the risks involved exist on a spectrum from low risk to high risk — also, some activities can pose a low risk to pregnancy but a high risk for STIs. You can see that dynamic in action here, illustrated by a “risk thermometer”: Can I Get Pregnant, Or Pass On An STI From That?

However, perhaps the most important part of this is that there’s no “betting” on sexual risk — when we talk about why there is a higher pregnancy or STI risk for certain activities, those risks are real and based on much more science than tossing a ball into a wheel. Too, when we discuss barrier methods and birth control, those are tangible ways of lowering risk that we can quantify, not much like roulette where you’re truly taking a blind chance. Does that make sense?

I think the idea of waiting until she is on birth control is very sound, and I am glad to hear that taking Plan B eased her worries. Using a birth control pill correctly, alongside proper condom usage, is a great way to prevent pregnancy and STIs (important to note: you’ll still need to use barrier protection, such as a condom, to prevent STIs). If we can help at all with preparing for safer sexual activity or accessing resources to learn more, we are here to help!

[gortiz]

Yes that does make a lot of sense. I thank you very much. I understand more about my situation and sexual encounters even better. This conversation has helped me alot and overall made me worry a bit less. I appreciate it greatly and I look forward to learning more from scarleteen.

[KierC]

You are very welcome! We’re happy to be able to help.