QUESTION

[Aarushi257]

So i gave my boyfriend a blowjob and i think my hands had some sperm on them.
I then went to wash my mouth after i spit the semen from my mouth out (i think i used both hands to put the water in my mouth but i don't remember clearly) and then i went and dried my hands with the towel and wiped my face (don't remember if this actually happened)
then i changed two outfits and went to use the washroom after that.
Now,
I pulled my panties down to touch the wetness in my panties before peeing and washing the pee off.
Can the sperm (that could have survived on my fingers) impregnante me?
i was ovulating at the time and now had some slight bleeding (could be ovulation related, not sure)
but is this how pregnancy happens?
Thank you.

[Emily N]

Hey Aarushi257!

The short, fast answer is that it is - no, you cannot get pregnant from that. This article, Can I Get Pregnant, or Get or Pass On an STI From That?, gives a more detailed response to your question (and outlines other scenarios you can reference). It notes that “oral sex - fellatio”, or a blowjob, has no risk of pregnancy.

In this advice article, someone asks a similar question to yours. It says that sperm are actually quite fragile and won’t be able to survive very long outside of the body. Even if they did survive, they wouldn’t have the correct fluid in order to “swim” anymore!

Does that help? Do you have other questions?

[Aarushi257]

thank you! <3
that helps and i have no other questions

[Aarushi257]

I have a question,
what if i hadnt actually washed my hands,
would the risk be the same?
thank you x

[Marisha]

Hi Aarushi257,

Emily's response still applies: you cannot get pregnant from that. Pregnancy occurs when there is direct contact between the vulva and semen, but there is essentially no risk here because we're talking about sperm theoretically surviving an indeterminate amount of time on your hands after being exposed to the air, rinsed off of your hands, and wiped away on a towel. Sperm are kind of like germs; they're living cells, and they aren't invincible.

[Aarushi257]

so even if i hadn't washed my hands or wiped my hands (theoretically) then they couldn't survive right? (just to clarify) because they need perfect conditions to survive and cause a pregnancy which is only possible through direct contact?

i got my period but i'm just curious so that i don't make a mistake in the future <3
thank you x

[Marisha]

Washing your hands is the safest thing to do since it is possible to transfer sperm from the hands to the vulva (I would be more concerned if you had done this during rather than after you had sex), plus it's best to do just for the sake of hygiene. That being said,

... they die very quickly once they get dry in the air, are exposed to cleaning chemicals or change temperature too much. That means that when the semen dries out, the sperm inside are probably dead

(quote from Ruthie's reply to an ask column here). So, for the sake of accuracy, I'd say that the risk is slim to none.

[Aarushi257]

okay i see

i have had my period since, so i hope i have averted the risk, like its lasted 7 days so far.