tina
Question
I would like to know if shallow penetration can get one pregnant, or does only deep penetration make one pregnant?
No, the penis (penis: One of the two external reproductive organs of people often assigned male at birth.) does not have to go far into the vaginal canal to result in pregnancy (pregnancy: The state of carrying a developing embryo or fetus within the uterus. Medically, someone is considered to be pregnant when an egg has been fertilized by sperm, cells divide, and the fertilized egg is implanted within the lining of the uterus.) . There have been cases where pregnancies resulted without any insertion of a penis into a vaginal canal. All that needs to happen is sperm (sperm: Reproductive cells of people with penises which can fertilize an ovum and create pregnancy.) must get to the ovum (ovum: A reproductive cell, sometimes also called an egg. Ova (plural) are stored in the ovaries and released into the fallopian tubes during ovulation, and can then be fertilized by sperm cells which can result in pregnancy.) (egg). Simply spilling fertile semen (semen: Fluid which comes from the urethra of the penis during ejaculation, and which usually contains sperm.) on the vulva (vulva: The name for the external genitals of people assigned female at birth. The vulva includes the mons, external clitoris, inner and outer labia, fourchette and perineum.) can be enough to allow sperm to enter the person’s body. Once the sperm get inside, they can make their way up through the uterus (uterus: An internal, muscular reproductive organ in the pelvis. During pregnancy, this is where a fetus will develop. The lining of a person’s uterus is also the thing that sheds every menstrual cycle in what we call a period.) and Fallopian tubes toward the ovum, and thus conception (conception: The onset of pregnancy, marked by implantation of the blastocyst into the endometrium (the lining of the uterus).) !
Therefore, if you intend to prevent pregnancy, the male needs to keep his penis covered with a condom (condom: A thin sheath or tube of latex or another material, worn over the penis during sex to prevent or reduce the risk of pregnancy and/or sexually transmitted infections.) during ALL genital contact. Pre-ejaculatory fluid can contain sperm, too, so it is important to keep all sexual (sexual: About or relating in some way to sex or sexuality.) fluids from exchanging during sexual play.
For more info, please read:
Hey, hey, hey, it’s Chanté, back this week to continue the convo about sexuality and intersectionality. This week, I want to revisit a little basic terminology I brought up last time.