pre-ejaculate vs. ejaculate

[daisygirl10]

I was curious if you guys could enlighten me on the differences between pre-ejaculate and regular ejaculate. Why is it that intercourse where there is only pre-ejaculate involved have a much lower risk of pregnancy?

[Johanna]

Pre-ejaculate is a fluid that is usually present when someone with a penis is aroused. It is a much, much smaller amount than a full ejaculation. We also do not know for sure whether pre-ejaculate even contains sperm at all - to the best of our knowledge, it does not contain sperm on its own, but may pick up sperm hanging around the urethra from a previous ejaculation on its way out. Therefore, the risk of pregnancy is much smaller when only pre-ejaculate is involved.

[daisygirl10]

Thank you very much for the quick reply! This is extremely helpful!