Scarleteen

Hello,
I wanted to know how long can sperm survive in a toilet bowl. If I masturbated in a toilet then flushed it 3 times, and after about 4 hours if a female uses the toilet, can splash from the water contain any unflushed (stuck to toilet bowl) sperm that can get splashed on the female's vagina causing any risk of pregnancy? I had the above situation where even after the female used the toilet and I visited it later on, I saw something in the water that looked like sperm which (cause of my ocd) I assumed could be some sperm that did not get flushed 4 hours back and therefore am freaking out. Any help is highly appreciated.
I have read that sperm can only live for about 20 mins to couple hours in an environment like toilet bowl. My concern is because of what I saw even after 4 hours that looked like sperm. I thought that flushing the toilet bowl 3 times and cleaning the seat with soap water should have been enough.
thanks for your help

Hi ocdelevated,

Sperm are actually pretty fragile, so what you're describing isn't a risk we would be concerned about. Check out this article for more info on what sperm cells need to survive: Who's Afraid of Sperm Cells?

Are you getting support for your OCD?

Thanks for your reply.

This article you referenced is very informative article. It mentioned that sperms cannot live when the temperature is lower than 68 and higher than 97. I have also read somewhere that in moist places sperms last longer. So, in places like water (toilet water, bath tub) where the temperatures are usually room temperature and the medium is moist (because of water) do the sperms still last only about 20 mins. or can they last much longer like 4-5 hours?

We really can't speak to why other sources make the calculations they do, so I don't know where that discrepancy comes from, but we stand by the times and information given in that article. As we state in our Pregnancy Fear and Anxiety Policy, we aren't evaluating scenarios for potential pregnancy risk in our direct services, but every tool you need to evaluate a situation can be found in this list of Pregnancy Scare Resources

However! Because you've mentioned OCD in your post and your username, it's unlikely that you'll be able to fully address the fears you have unless that's being addressed and treated as well. Siân asked this above, and it really is the most important question here: what support, if any, are you getting for your OCD right now? Have you learned steps to take when you feel it acting up that can help you calm down?