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Is Pregnancy Possible Without Intercourse?
Question: Hi...Can I get pregnant from the following:
This morning I came home from a friends house and I washed my hands with soap in the bathroom. I then went upstairs to get changed and my hands touched my vagina (like the labia very close to the inside). I did this a few times while I was getting dressed. I then went to the toilet and peed and wiped my vagina with toilet paper afterwards.
I then realised that my sister had been downstairs to use the toilet too in the past half an hour. I am worried that I could be pregnant by doing this because her boyfriend stayed over last night and what if they had just had intercourse and some left over sperm somehow got on my fingers then my vagina?? Is this just ridiculous to think? Can someone shed some light please???
This morning I came home from a friends house and I washed my hands with soap in the bathroom. I then went upstairs to get changed and my hands touched my vagina (like the labia very close to the inside). I did this a few times while I was getting dressed. I then went to the toilet and peed and wiped my vagina with toilet paper afterwards.
I then realised that my sister had been downstairs to use the toilet too in the past half an hour. I am worried that I could be pregnant by doing this because her boyfriend stayed over last night and what if they had just had intercourse and some left over sperm somehow got on my fingers then my vagina?? Is this just ridiculous to think? Can someone shed some light please???
Brief Answer:
Absolutely no chance
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Please do not worry that much because getting pregnant by handshaking, visiting the WC or doing anything else except sexual intercourse cannot get you pregnant.
Sperm won't live long outside the body unless it is in a wet and warm environment. Even then the chances that you got sperm and the sperm found its way to your uterus from such a long distance (outside the vagina) is very very very low. It's so low that it's not worth considering!
Also please note that the sperm dies when it's dried like if it is left on a cloth or on the toilet and it dries (and looks like a stain).
I hope I've alleviated your fears!
If you'd like me to provide further clarifications, please let me know.
Kind Regards!
Absolutely no chance
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Please do not worry that much because getting pregnant by handshaking, visiting the WC or doing anything else except sexual intercourse cannot get you pregnant.
Sperm won't live long outside the body unless it is in a wet and warm environment. Even then the chances that you got sperm and the sperm found its way to your uterus from such a long distance (outside the vagina) is very very very low. It's so low that it's not worth considering!
Also please note that the sperm dies when it's dried like if it is left on a cloth or on the toilet and it dries (and looks like a stain).
I hope I've alleviated your fears!
If you'd like me to provide further clarifications, please let me know.
Kind Regards!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
I cannot stop worrying about this. Would you say it is completely and totally 100% without a doubt impossible? I went and some forums and some people said there could be a small chance so now I'm very worried. I don't know if I may have some form of OCD because I always worry about this. I'm sure other females use the toilet and then wipe themselves with the toilet paper and don't become worried about getting pregnant? Is this right?
I am currently on Yaz birth control pills but I worry that they do not work. I actually had intercourse with a friend last night. If I am pregnant, is the pregnancy DEFINITELY from the intercourse or could it be from touching my vagina????
I am currently on Yaz birth control pills but I worry that they do not work. I actually had intercourse with a friend last night. If I am pregnant, is the pregnancy DEFINITELY from the intercourse or could it be from touching my vagina????
Brief Answer:
You shouldn't worry
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
I understand you're worried but you shouldn't really. First of all, when you use birth control pills (and do not forget to take them) the chances of getting pregnant are extremely low. Pill failure happens when the woman forgets to take them - usually more than once.
Nobody can give any answer that is 100% certain about any subject! But medical knowledge and common sense dictates that in cases like yours, concerns about pregnancy are unfounded.
If you'd like to be sure about being pregnant or not, a beta chorionic gonadotropin test a couple of weeks after the suspected conception would be helpful, although I won't advise you to do it.
If you're constantly having unjustified worries about things and you let those worries interfere with your every day life, then perhaps you should discuss it with a psychologist or psychiatrist.
I hope you find my answer helpful!
Kind Regards!
You shouldn't worry
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
I understand you're worried but you shouldn't really. First of all, when you use birth control pills (and do not forget to take them) the chances of getting pregnant are extremely low. Pill failure happens when the woman forgets to take them - usually more than once.
Nobody can give any answer that is 100% certain about any subject! But medical knowledge and common sense dictates that in cases like yours, concerns about pregnancy are unfounded.
If you'd like to be sure about being pregnant or not, a beta chorionic gonadotropin test a couple of weeks after the suspected conception would be helpful, although I won't advise you to do it.
If you're constantly having unjustified worries about things and you let those worries interfere with your every day life, then perhaps you should discuss it with a psychologist or psychiatrist.
I hope you find my answer helpful!
Kind Regards!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Shanthi.E
I just can't help but think that there may have been traces of semen/sperm on the tap handle of the sink and I touched it after my sister touched it and then could have introduced it into my vagina to cause pregnancy? :(
Brief Answer:
No!
Detailed Answer:
Please stop torturing yourself!
I haven't ever read about a woman that got pregnant this way in any medical or non-medical books/newspaper/internet. Medical facts, like how much can sperm live outside the body and how difficult it can be - sometimes - for a healthy couple to achieve pregnancy make this assumption (that you can get pregnant by touching things) so irrational!
So the answer is No! You can't be pregnant by touching things. Having a sexual intercourse is the only way to do that. Do not be mislead by a theoretical risk because it would be right to say for example that you shouldn't walk on the street because a demolishing building may land on your head! How possible is that?
I really hope you understand, because you seem to be so much worried for nothing!
Kind Regards!
No!
Detailed Answer:
Please stop torturing yourself!
I haven't ever read about a woman that got pregnant this way in any medical or non-medical books/newspaper/internet. Medical facts, like how much can sperm live outside the body and how difficult it can be - sometimes - for a healthy couple to achieve pregnancy make this assumption (that you can get pregnant by touching things) so irrational!
So the answer is No! You can't be pregnant by touching things. Having a sexual intercourse is the only way to do that. Do not be mislead by a theoretical risk because it would be right to say for example that you shouldn't walk on the street because a demolishing building may land on your head! How possible is that?
I really hope you understand, because you seem to be so much worried for nothing!
Kind Regards!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Shanthi.E
Okay so do you think I should completely STOP worrying? And if I am pregnant would you say it's definitely from the sex I had and not touching my vagina??
Brief Answer:
Yes in both questions
Detailed Answer:
Hello again,
yes, you should stop worrying about it.
And if you are pregnant - which I doubt - it would be from the sexual intercourse.
If you want to be even more safe, you should use a condom.
Kind Regards!
Yes in both questions
Detailed Answer:
Hello again,
yes, you should stop worrying about it.
And if you are pregnant - which I doubt - it would be from the sexual intercourse.
If you want to be even more safe, you should use a condom.
Kind Regards!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Bhagyalaxmi Nalaparaju
I will try and stop the worrying. Do you think it's unlikely Im pregnant from the intercourse because Im on the pill? Also, I always use condoms when I have intercourse but I still get worried. As long as I know I can't get pregnant from touching things and then myself and only from intercourse then I feel better I guess, but you just go online and some people of forums say I guess it could happen and I just become completely freaked out and anxious...
Brief Answer:
The pill is protective but not 100% safe
Detailed Answer:
Regarding the pill: it is one of the most effective contraceptive methods. When used properly it carries a very very low risk for an unwanted pregnancy (less than 0,1%). The problem is that some women may forget to take it. Even then it's not easy to conceive, unless you've forgotten to take it for 2-3 days in a row.
As I wrote in a previous answer, you can't be 100% certain about anything in medicine. But we have to be reasonable when estimating the risk. And of course there could be no medical study testing the probability of pregnancy after touching the vagina but experience and common sense say it's impossible.
So don't be that anxious, just avoid forgetting the pill and use a condom whenever you can.
Best wishes!
The pill is protective but not 100% safe
Detailed Answer:
Regarding the pill: it is one of the most effective contraceptive methods. When used properly it carries a very very low risk for an unwanted pregnancy (less than 0,1%). The problem is that some women may forget to take it. Even then it's not easy to conceive, unless you've forgotten to take it for 2-3 days in a row.
As I wrote in a previous answer, you can't be 100% certain about anything in medicine. But we have to be reasonable when estimating the risk. And of course there could be no medical study testing the probability of pregnancy after touching the vagina but experience and common sense say it's impossible.
So don't be that anxious, just avoid forgetting the pill and use a condom whenever you can.
Best wishes!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Ashwin Bhandari
Yeah thank you but the anxiety is certainly not going away anytime soon. Your answers just make me anxious as you are saying that it isn't impossible. I know very close to impossible but that 'what if....' won't leave me.
I keep just thinking 'what if I touched a trace of semen/sperm that was alive' and then I touched my vagina. I'm also terrified to go to the toilet in a public place to do a number two because if I have to wipe my bottom or vagina I think 'oh my goodness, what if I touched something in the shopping centre or pub that had sperm on it and now put it into my genital area.' I never used to think like this. Im sure other women don't have these worries.
I keep just thinking 'what if I touched a trace of semen/sperm that was alive' and then I touched my vagina. I'm also terrified to go to the toilet in a public place to do a number two because if I have to wipe my bottom or vagina I think 'oh my goodness, what if I touched something in the shopping centre or pub that had sperm on it and now put it into my genital area.' I never used to think like this. Im sure other women don't have these worries.
Brief Answer:
You didn't get the point, let me explain
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
The "not impossible" thing is just a theoretical approach because nobody can ever seriously exclude conditions that have not been specifically tested and your condition could not be tested. Billions of pregnancies have happened in the past, some of them unusual. I hope it will calm you down, if I said that I've never ever heard of a woman getting pregnant this way... I just can't emphasize my message more.
Just think of the "mechanics" of getting pregnant. The semen has to enter the uterus which in itself is a difficult deed sometimes. Thinking that the semen will travel from the external genitalia to the uterus is not reasonable.
If you had put alive semen on your finger and had inserted the finger deep IN the vagina then there would be some risk. Otherwise it's just impossible.
I understand that this situation really interferes with your life. This is not normal. Many women worry about getting pregnant but most of them calm down when they get to know the real risk. If you can't cope with it, you should seek professional help (psychologist or psychiatrist). You can't just avoid going to the toilet for a totally unjustified irrational fear!
I really hope, you're calm now!!!
Kind Regards!
You didn't get the point, let me explain
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
The "not impossible" thing is just a theoretical approach because nobody can ever seriously exclude conditions that have not been specifically tested and your condition could not be tested. Billions of pregnancies have happened in the past, some of them unusual. I hope it will calm you down, if I said that I've never ever heard of a woman getting pregnant this way... I just can't emphasize my message more.
Just think of the "mechanics" of getting pregnant. The semen has to enter the uterus which in itself is a difficult deed sometimes. Thinking that the semen will travel from the external genitalia to the uterus is not reasonable.
If you had put alive semen on your finger and had inserted the finger deep IN the vagina then there would be some risk. Otherwise it's just impossible.
I understand that this situation really interferes with your life. This is not normal. Many women worry about getting pregnant but most of them calm down when they get to know the real risk. If you can't cope with it, you should seek professional help (psychologist or psychiatrist). You can't just avoid going to the toilet for a totally unjustified irrational fear!
I really hope, you're calm now!!!
Kind Regards!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
I know I need to calm down about this. I go through up and down stages.. I try to get my mind off it by going and doing some jobs around the house or some work but the thoughts just come back real strongly.
My main fear is this:
I can't believe that it isn't impossible. I hate when people say 'highly unlikely' because that to me means 'nope, you're screwed!' I am just worried because I had intercourse with a friend and now what if I'm pregnant from that - I could deal with it - but my worry is that the father may not be the person I had intercourse with but could be from the fact that I touched myself down below. Is that insane? Do you think if I'm pregnant it is 100% from the intercourse I had?????
My main fear is this:
I can't believe that it isn't impossible. I hate when people say 'highly unlikely' because that to me means 'nope, you're screwed!' I am just worried because I had intercourse with a friend and now what if I'm pregnant from that - I could deal with it - but my worry is that the father may not be the person I had intercourse with but could be from the fact that I touched myself down below. Is that insane? Do you think if I'm pregnant it is 100% from the intercourse I had?????
Brief Answer:
Yes!
Detailed Answer:
It would definitely be the intercourse, no doubt about that!
The odds for getting pregnant even with the intercourse are extremely low since you use the pill though.
Please consult a psychiatrist for this situation. It IS a disease and there are treatments that will help you achieve piece of mind!
Yes!
Detailed Answer:
It would definitely be the intercourse, no doubt about that!
The odds for getting pregnant even with the intercourse are extremely low since you use the pill though.
Please consult a psychiatrist for this situation. It IS a disease and there are treatments that will help you achieve piece of mind!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
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