Can you get pregnant from dry humping?
Polly Logan-Banks
Content EditorIs it possible to get pregnant from dry humping? The answer may surprise you! Learn all you need to know about pregnancy and dry humping, including how to reduce the risks and what to do if you think you might be pregnant.
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What is dry humping?
Dry humping just means rubbing your genitals against something, when you're either fully clothed or wearing underwear.
You can dry hump on your own, or with a partner. One common way to dry hump is to rub your genitals against your partner's genitals, causing some people to worry that this could lead to a pregnancy.
Can you get pregnant from dry humping?
It's technically possible, but very unlikely.
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For a woman to become pregnant, sperm needs to enter her vagina and travel to the womb and fallopian tubes. During dry humping, it's very unlikely that any sperm will make its way through your clothes into your vagina, especially if you're wearing multiple layers of clothes.
If you're just wearing underwear, it's theoretically possible that some semen or pre-ejaculate could soak through your knickers and lead to pregnancy. However, it's not very likely.
It's worth bearing in mind though that you can get a sexually transmitted infection even if sperm doesn't get into your vagina. So if any pre-ejaculate or semen got on your knickers during dry humping with a new partner, it may be worth having an STI test, to be on the safe side.
Of course, if you're using any kind of contraception, such as the pill, the implant, the injection or the coil, it's even less likely that you could become pregnant through dry humping.
I think I might be pregnant from dry humping. What should I do?
If you think there's a chance that you might have got pregnant from dry humping within the last five days, you may be able to take emergency contraception to prevent a pregnancy if you want to.
You can take the 'morning after pill' as emergency contraception, or you can also have the copper coil. Your local pharmacist will be able to advise you of your options if you're not sure exactly what you want to do.
If it's been more than five days, emergency contraception won't be effective.
Alternatively, you can wait until your next period is due. This can be a nerve-racking time, but unfortunately, waiting is the only way to find out if you're pregnant. If your period does arrive on cue, you're probably not pregnant.
If your period doesn't arrive when you expect it, you can then take a pregnancy test, to find out for sure if you've conceived or not. If the test is positive, we have plenty of support available, whether you know you want to keep the baby, or you're feeling unsure.
In the meantime, you can keep an eye out for the early signs of pregnancy, which can sometimes appear before a missed period. These include:
- Period-type pains (but no period)
- PMS (cramping, bloating, headaches, heartburn, indigestion, feeling overly emotional)
- Brown discharge
- White discharge
- Spotting
- Sore, tender or tingling breasts
- A metallic taste in your mouth
- Tiredness
- Nausea and sickness
Find out more about the early signs of pregnancy here.
Still thinking you might be pregnant? This best-selling test by First Response accurately detects pregnancy up to six days sooner than the day of your missed period. See more details at Amazon.
Looking for more information on getting pregnant? Read our articles below or share advice with others in the forum.
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