Can You Get Pregnant From Anal

Can You Get Pregnant From Anal

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Can I Get Pregnant If I Have Anal Sex?

Can I Get Pregnant If I Have Anal Sex?

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My boyfriend wants to have anal sex without a condom. Can I get pregnant? – Lauren*
Getting pregnant through anal sex is unlikely. In theory, it's possible that it could happen if semen from the anus gets into the vagina.
With anal sex, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are a much bigger worry than pregnancy. The risk of getting an STD like HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) is even higher with anal sex than vaginal sex. That's because the lining of the rectum is thin and can tear easily, allowing infection to get into your body.
If you decide to have anal sex, use a condom every time. Because there is less lubrication with anal sex, condoms are more likely to break than with vaginal sex, so use a lot of water-based lubricating gel (available from drugstores).
Even if your boyfriend thinks he's STD free, he may not be. Lots of people can have STDs without knowing it. Even if they don't have symptoms themselves, they can still pass STDs on to a partner. So protect yourself with a condom whenever you have any type of sex — vaginal, oral, or anal. It's also a good idea to get tested for STDs at least once a year and whenever you have a new partner.
*Names have been changed to protect user privacy.
Note: All information on KidsHealth® is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.
© 1995-2022 The Nemours Foundation. Nemours® and KidsHealth® are registered trademarks of the Nemours Foundation. All rights reserved.
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Medically reviewed by
Rochelle Collins, DO

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Maggie O’Neill is a health writer and reporter based in New York who specializes in covering medical research and emerging wellness trends, with a focus on cancer and addiction. Prior to her time at Health, her work appeared in the Observer, Good Housekeeping, CNN, and Vice. She was a fellow of the Association of Health Care Journalists’ 2020 class on Women’s Health Journalism and 2021 class on Cancer Reporting. In her spare time, she likes meditating, watching TikToks, and playing fetch with her dog, Finnegan.
Rochelle Collins, DO, is a board-certified family medicine physician and assistant clinical professor of family medicine at Quinnipiac University.

A February 2022 article published in Culture, Health & Sexuality found that individuals saw having anal sex as one way to reduce the probability of pregnancy. However, this brings up an important question: Can you get pregnant from anal sex? People do wonder, even if the likelihood of pregnancy is very, very small. So, in the interest of clearing up sexual health confusion, we decided to delve into the facts.

If you're careful about where your partner's sperm ends up after anal sex, the answer is definitely no—you won't get pregnant. The act itself cannot directly cause a pregnancy.

When it comes to pregnancy , the general process entails the fusion of eggs and sperm. If fertility treatments like intrauterine insemination (IUI)—where sperm is placed directly into the uterus, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine —or in vitro fertilization (IVF) are not used to facilitate pregnancy, it can happen naturally when semen makes its way through your vagina to your uterus and fertilizes an egg. This is likely why there have not been many reports—if any reports at all—of anal sex resulting in pregnancy.

"There's no connection between the rectal canal and the vaginal pouch. Semen must enter the vaginal pouch [for you to get pregnant]," Michael Reitano, MD , physician in residence for the men's health service Roman, told Health .

There are a few very unlikely exceptions—for example, if semen released during anal sex makes its way into the vagina via your or your partner's hand. "Here's how it can happen: If you have unprotected anal sex and semen does leak out of the anus, the semen can possibly enter the vaginal pouch and result in a pregnancy," Dr. Reitano said.

Another exception would be if a person has a very rare medical condition called a rectovaginal fistula, according to Dr. Reitano. A rectovaginal fistula is an opening between the vagina and the rectum. It can be caused by Crohn's disease , an injury that occurs during childbirth, cancer found in the pelvic area, or radiation treatment. Oftentimes, surgery is needed to repair the fistula but not always.

If you have anal sex while suffering from a rectovaginal fistula, it could result in pregnancy, since the condition creates an opening between the rectum and the vagina through which sperm can theoretically travel. But anal and vaginal sex both would probably be out of the question if you had a rectovaginal fistula.

"Gas and feces and secretions can go from the rectum to the vaginal pouch. The person generally has such difficult hygiene issues that any form of anal or vaginal intercourse is not feasible," Dr. Reitano explained.

Being careful during anal sex can help you bypass the chances of pregnancy. This could include using contraceptive methods such as condoms or hormonal birth control, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) . Furthermore, as long as you don't have any rare complications that involve your pelvic area as well, you shouldn't worry about getting pregnant from anal sex.

However, though pregnancy from anal sex is highly improbable, that doesn't mean that there aren't other things to be concerned with if you engage in anal sex. You should also take care to protect yourself from sexually transmitted infections (STIs), as they can be transmitted through anal sex, per MedlinePlus . Symptoms of STIs can vary (e.g., painful urination, sores, or abdominal pain), but seek medical attention if you experience any signs of STIs .

Ultimately, we can't stress enough how slim the chances of pregnancy from anal sex happening are, but it's still important to know what having anal sex means for you and your health.

Planned Parenthood has a partner website about sexual health topics specifically for Nigeria. Would you like to go to the Nigeria website?

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By
Kendall @ Planned Parenthood
|
Aug. 24, 2011, 4:19 p.m.

Can A Girl Get Pregnant From Unprotected Anal Sex?
No. It’s not possible to become pregnant from anal intercourse — when the penis is inserted into a partner’s anus. But pregnancy can occur if semen is spilled into the vagina or into the vulva during any kind of sex.
Like unprotected vaginal intercourse, unprotected anal intercourse is a high-risk for many sexually transmitted infections, such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, hepatitis, intestinal parasites, HIV, HPV, and syphilis. Use condoms during anal sex to decrease the risk of sexually transmitted infections.
Some women and men enjoy anal sex, and others do not.
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If you’re interested in having anal sex , you’re not alone. According to a 2017 study from Indiana University’s Kinsey Institute , 43 percent of heterosexual men and 37 percent of heterosexual women reported having anal sex in their lifetime.
And while there are many reasons why people may want to dabble in anal sex —a stronger orgasm ! a kinky experience! a different sensation!—a lot of people choose anal sex because they think it’s an effective way to avoid pregnancy .
But how “safe” is anal sex, really? We asked experts to share their insight. Because regardless of whether you’re having anal sex for the sake of fantasy or to avoid a potential pregnancy, it’s important to know all the potential risks that may come with it. Lets dive into it.
Strictly speaking, the answer is no. “Pregnancy can only occur through penis-in-vagina sex that allows sperm to be able to reach and fertilize an egg through the vagina, then cervix, uterus, and fallopian tubes to get to an egg,” says board-certified gynecologist Staci Tanouy
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