T O P I C R E V I E W
iamfree
Member # 35227
posted 09-23-2007 10:21 PM
Hi. I'm sorry to be adding to the growing list of similar questions, but I'm freaking out and really need someone to assess my risk personally. My period is over three weeks late. My boyfriend and I have never had sex, but we do dry hump and engage in mutual masturbation. As soon as we get sexual, we put a condom on him. He holds the tip so that he doesn't touch any pre-cum and I roll it down. I always make him wash his hands before he touches me, but I don't always wash mine, although I do wipe them on a cloth (however, I have very sweaty hands...could any sperm conceivable survive in the sweat?) We usually hold hands before he touches me...could any sperm get from my hands to his, and then into my vagina? After he ejaculates, we don't always take the condom off immediately (but he wears two pairs of boxers for these encounters so the semen can't get on me). I think one of those times, he may have reached into his boxers to adjust the condom and touched my vagina a few moments afterwards. I usually make sure his hands are dry before he does this, but is it possible he could have gotten sperm on his hands from the base of the condom, and could some of it have survived even if his hands felt dry? I took a pregnancy test a few days ago. The instructions said to hold the stick under the stream of urine for EXACTLY 10 seconds, but I started counting too fast and then freaked out and let the urine run without counting at all. It came out negative, but I'm worried that it's only because I didn't leave the stick in the stream for long enough. Am I being reasonable? Should I take another test? Please help! My period is over 3 WEEKS LATE! I so scared...
LilBlueSmurf
Member # 1207
posted 09-23-2007 10:25 PM
It really sounds like you've been doing everything right. You've even taken a pregnancy test. You're not pregnant. You've had no risk for you to be pregnant. How long have you been menstruating for? Sometimes periods can be a little irregular for the first few years ... And even if you've had your period for years and are regular, sometimes stuff like this just happens, for no reason.
iamfree
Member # 35227
posted 09-23-2007 10:36 PM
I've been menstruating for three years now...but my period has never been this wonky, at least not since the first year, when everything was a bit haywire. I have a couple more questions...I hope you don't mind. First of all: when taking a pregnancy test, is it imperative to follow the directions exactly? (for instance, if it says 10 seconds under the flow, do you have to be utterly meticulous, or wil 9 or 11 seconds do the trick?) Also, I've read on the boards that there's no risk in inserting a finger that has a little pre-cum on it into a vagina, but having direct genital contact (even with no penetration) constitutes a risk. Why is this?
*Lauren*
Member # 25983
posted 09-23-2007 11:06 PM
A pregnancy test will usually contain two results windows -- the first is a "control" window, in which a dark line should appear regardless of the final result. This is the proof that the test was done correctly/there's enough urine. Most tests will allow you to either collect the sample midstream or dip; one should opt to dip if they aren't sure they can follow the midstream instructions. As for the inconsistency, could you kindly point it out? We will almost always state that any vaginal insertion of penile fluid presents pregnancy and STI risks; direct external contact will also, be it fingering or unprotected genital contact (though moreso STI, there).
iamfree
Member # 35227
posted 09-23-2007 11:29 PM
It's just that I've read in a couple of posts that your fingers would have to be dripping with semen for there to be a pregnancy risk...so presumably a few drops of semen on a finger don't have a great chance of getting a girl pregnant. But in other posts, girls who had genital contact with their boyfriend's penises (which didn't have any semen on them) were advised to take EC. I guess the safest bet is washing your hands and always wearing a condom, huh? In any case, you guys are great. You really put my mind at ease!
*Lauren*
Member # 25983
posted 09-23-2007 11:32 PM
Generally, posts in which we say something like that are when female users post worried about touching themselves indirectly when wiping after sexual activity. There's usually not a significant enough amount in direct contact with the vaginal opening to present a pregnancy risk, hence why we use the "dripping" metaphor. The rule of thumb is that a noticeable amount of semen/pre-ejaculate must come into direct contact with the vaginal opening to present a risk. (I'm glad you feel less anxious!)