Pre-cum, also called "Pre-ejaculate" or "Cowper's fluid" is transparent, colorless, alkalescent, and like an uncooked egg-white viscous fluid. The liquid comes out through the urethral opening when a person becomes aroused from sexual stimulation, fantasizing, or having strong sexual thoughts.
However, pre-cum is not equal to ejaculation. Just like the clear fluid that comes out of a woman's vaginal opening when she's excited, it acts as neutralizing acid and lubrication for love. Men also have this physical reaction to secrete the lubricating liquid at the tip of the penis before ejaculation.
When does pre-cum appear?
The secretion of pre-cum will increase in large quantities during sexual arousal, masturbation, and before sexual intercourse with a spouse. But the specific pre-cum amount varies from person to person. Some people only secrete just a few drops or none, but others secrete so much that their underwear gets wet, even as much as 58ml!
If you've ever had to make an emergency stop on the way to ejaculation and failed to do so, you can also see a small stream of clear, viscous fluid, which is very different from what you see during normal ejaculation. This fluid is also mainly pre-cum. It also acts as a "spearhead," lubricating the pipes and helping the sperm army reduce "non-combat attrition."
Does pre-cum contain any sperm?
In the book Human Sexual Response, Masters and Johnson noted that "there is a large number of active sperm in the pre-cum." However, they were unable to provide supporting data to substantiate the claim.
Back in 1993, a study of pre-ejaculated semen found that most pre-cum samples contained no sperm. And it was only a small quantity of sperm contained in a few pre-cum samples, and most sperm could not move. So it becomes one of the reasons why some people believe that withdrawing from the vagina before ejaculation does not lead to pregnancy.
A study of 27 healthy volunteers tested to see if there was any sperm in pre-cum, found that 11 of the volunteers (41%) had sperm samples taken before ejaculation, and 10 of the volunteers (37%) had a proportion of their sperm that was motile. Another study found that 16.7% (7/42) of healthy men had detectable motile sperm in their pre-cum fluid.
The chances of getting pregnant from pre-cum
According to existing research, some men leak sperm in the pre-cum fluid, while others do not. Therefore, even without ejaculating in the vagina, it is possible to be pregnant from pre-cum.
However, others believe that a man needs to ejaculate a certain number of sperm to conceive. The average ejaculation of each man is about 100 million spermatozoa/ml. Among these sperm, about 10 million passes through cervical mucus, and 1 million reach the tip of the uterine cavity. Finally, it's only about 100,000 sperm reach the fallopian tube successfully.
At this rate, even if the pre-cum liquid contains sperm, few sperm will reach the fallopian tube and fertilize the egg. Therefore, some people believe that even though the pre-cum fluid does enter the vagina, the likelihood of pregnancy is very low. It has become one of the reasons why some men choose not to wear condoms - "I'll just pull it out before I ejaculate, and you won't get pregnant."
Is the withdrawal or pull-out method effective?
Although intercourse is interrupted before ejaculation, lots of women still become pregnant from pre-cum because there are sperms contained in pre-cum. It suggests that sex interruption is not an effective method of birth control and has a high failure rate.
Studies have shown that the probability of failure to avoid pregnancy is 5.8%, 11.9%, and 19.9% in the first three months, six months, and twelve months after using the method of sexual interruption. In other words, if you use the interruption method to have sex within a year, your chances of getting pregnant from pre-cum are up to one in five.
So, to prevent pregnancy from pre-cum, the best way is to use birth control if you don't want to get pregnant.
Ways to prevent pregnancy from pre-cum
- The condoms
The effective rate is 82-98%.
This method is a popular way of birth control to avoid pregnancy from pre-cum. The use of condoms has no time or age limit. More importantly, it can prevent the spread of disease. So this is the most reliable method of birth control by far. But note that male condoms must be worn the whole time, not until you feel the need to ejaculate the sperm.
- Combined estrogen-progestin oral contraceptives (COCs)
The success rate is 91-99%. Its contraceptive principle is to inhibit ovarian ovulation through hormones, thicken cervical mucus to prevent sperm and egg union, and make endometrial decidua, which is not conducive to fertilized egg implantation.
- Intrauterine device(IUD)
The rate at work is 99%. The method is to place a small, soft T-shaped device with a storage tank containing progesterone in the uterus. The device continuously releases tiny amounts of progesterone, which thickens cervical mucus to prevent sperm from moving freely.
- Safety period
The valid rate is 76%-95% (on the condition that women have a stable menstrual cycle of 6-12 months).
In the menstrual cycle of the female, a few days are not easy to be pregnant, which is called a safe period. However, the advance is that the female physiological cycle is very regular. Ovulation is affected by the environment, mood, and health condition fluctuation. So it's not easy to ensure the accurate days of the safe period.
- Emergency contraception pills
58% effective(depending on whether the taking time is early or late).
It is also a hormonal method of birth control, and it is best to take the pills within 72 hours. The earlier the birth control effect is better.
- Sterilization
100% to be effecient.
Sterilization is a permanent method of contraception. In women, the fallopian tube is cut or blocked. In men, the vas deferens are cut and sealed. Sterilization only affects the fertility of men or women and does not affect libido or sexual behavior.