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A staggering 300 million sperm cells are released per ejaculation, and only one is needed to make a baby. If you aren’t trying to get pregnant, you might be wondering how long sperm can survive once it has left the penis. Is it possible to get pregnant without having sex if there is semen near the vagina?
Can you get pregnant without having sex?
Contrary to popular belief, you can get pregnant without having penetrative sex.
The chance is very low, but if the sperm lives long enough and gets into your vagina you could become pregnant.
For example, if you or your partner have semen or pre-ejaculate on your fingers and touch your vagina, the sperm could enter the vagina and travel through the cervix and womb to the fallopian tubes.
This is where the egg is fertilised by sperm.
READ MORE- When is the best time to do a pregnancy test?
You could even get pregnant if your partner ejaculates near your vagina or your partner’s erect penis comes into contact with your body near your vagina.
This is because as soon as the penis is erect, before the man ejaculates, he produces pre-ejaculate.
This liquid contains thousands of sperm and men cannot control the production of it.
If any of these scenarios have happened, you’re probably wondering what your chances of getting pregnant are.
How long can sperm survive?
You may have heard that oxygen kills sperm, but this is not true.
How long sperm lives outside the body depends on the environmental factors.
As long as the sperm hasn’t dried out, it can still move and you can get pregnant.
Sperm can live for about 15 to 30 minutes outside the body.
The reason sperm dies so quickly outside the body is because they need specific conditions of warmth and humidity to survive.
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Sperm can typically only survive for a few minutes on the skin or on bed sheets, but if the ejaculate ends up near the vagina there is a small chance it will make its way into it.
In a hot tub or bath, sperm can only live for a matter of seconds or minutes.
However, in IUI and IVF, sperm can be frozen to make it live for years.
Sperm can live for up to seven days inside a woman’s body.
The exact length of time depends on the sperm quality, acidity of the vagina, and quality of the cervical mucus.
Most experts say two days is the average, but if there is no mucus the sperm will die within hours.
This means if you have had sex in the days before ovulation or even while menstruating, you can still get pregnant.
The sperm will travel up the fallopian tubes and wait for the egg to be released.
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