How Is It Possible To Become Pregnant Without Intercourse?

If there is one topic in our country that stirs up controversies everytime it is mentioned, then it would probably be sex.

Our country is considered to be very traditional and old school in its approach to issues like sex. In fact, the very word is so abhorred that children grow up thinking that the word sex is only used to imply different genders. In a country with the second largest population in the world, where 50% of its population is below 25 years of age, there is a dire need of introducing sex education in schools.

Due to lack of willingness regarding talking about these subjects, the youth are constantly battling for answers. Though there are many questions which bombard the minds of the people when it comes to sex, there is one major question which troubles everyone. Is it possible to become pregnant without proper penetrative sex?

For that you need to understand the conditions in which a woman gets pregnant.

Pregnancy occurs when the sperm of a healthy male travels from the vagina into the ovum, where it fertilises a healthy female egg. Thus the process of conception takes place and a pregnancy occurs.

In order for a pregnancy to occur, there are some requirements-

- The female should be in the process of ovulation, where there is a healthy egg present in the uterus.

- The male sperm should be healthy enough to travel all the way from the vaginal opening to the uterus.

During unprotected penetrative sex, the semen ejaculated by the male contains millions of sperm which are capable enough of travelling through the fallopian tubes in the uterus. But there are some instances where a pregnancy has occurred without proper penetration too. Surprising, isn't it? Not if you get to know the science behind it.

There is a lot of science behind sex and pregnancy. While penetrative sex is often the most common way of pregnancy, there are instances where other acts of foreplay have lead to pregnancy. It is all possible due to the simple fact that a sperm of a male is very powerful and it can notoriously travel through the female reproductive system and fertilise the egg. (That is, of course, if there is an egg in the ovum).

Also, the other speciality of the sperm is that it can stay alive for up to 5 days in suitable conditions. So, even if the ejaculation happens anywhere near the vagina, the warm temperature of the body lets the sperm thrive and travel all the way inside.

So, is it possible to get pregnant without intercourse?

Though the chances are one in a million, there are instances in the world where this has occurred.

For a pregnancy to occur, it is important for the sperm to reach the egg inside the uterus. This can happen without penetration too if the male ejaculates near the vaginal opening. The sperm has the ability of travelling all the way up the uterus and causing a pregnancy even if the ejaculation happens anywhere near the vagina.

Conditions which can result in pregnancy without penetration-

Nowadays, foreplay consists of many acts such as dry humping, oral sex, fingering, use of sex objects, etc. If any of these acts result in the male ejaculating near the vagina, the sperm can travel all the way up to the uterus and cause a pregnancy. One important condition being that the woman is ovulating and there is a presence of a healthy egg in the ovum.

Here are different ways in which a woman can get pregnant without actual penetrative sex-

1) Dry humping without clothes can lead to pregnancy if the male ejaculates anywhere near the vaginal opening.

2) It is a misconception that anal sex cannot lead to pregnancy. A woman's anus is located very close to the vagina. The semen discharged can easily enter the vaginal opening and can cause pregnancy.

3) Use of sex toys which may contain semen and then inserted into the vagina can cause pregnancy too.

4) Oral sex where the male ejaculates near the vagina can lead to the sperm reaching all the way to the ovaries and fertilising the egg.

Some measures to take in order to avoid unplanned pregnancy-

While using contraceptives like pills or a condom can avoid pregnancy, people usually tend to skip that step in case of foreplay or while indulging in any other sexual act besides penetration. If you are keen in continuing with those, do make sure that there is no direct contact between the vagina and the penis and certainly no ejaculation anywhere near the danger zone, so to speak. All in all, if you take these precautions, you can be sure of no ugly surprises greeting you soon.