Would peeing after sex stop me from getting pregnant?
Great question! The short answer is no. Urinating (peeing) after sex will have no effect on whether you get pregnant. The only way to prevent pregnancy is to use an effective birth control method.
It’s not surprising that you’re unsure about how to prevent pregnancy though. There are a lot of myths about how pregnancy happens and ways to keep from getting pregnant.
For a pregnancy to begin, a sperm needs to come into contact with an egg cell inside a fallopian tube. Sperm are cells found in semen (come/cum, or ejaculate). For a sperm to meet an egg, the sperm needs to travel through the vagina, cervix and uterus and into a fallopian tube. (Not sure what we’re talking about? Check out this diagram.) If there’s an egg in the fallopian tube, the sperm may fertilize it. If the fertilized egg attaches itself to the wall of the uterus, a pregnancy begins.
So, what does all this have to do with urine? Not much.
Pee doesn’t come out of your vagina, but out of your urethra. Your urethra is the tiny hole just above your vaginal opening. This means that you can’t rinse sperm out of your body by urinating.
To prevent pregnancy, use an effective birth control method like the pill, IUD (intrauterine device) or implant.
Talk to your health care provider about what method might be right for you. If you have insurance, it should cover birth control. If not, many community and family planning clinics offer free or low-cost birth control. In most states, reproductive health care is confidential, even for minors (or people under age 18). This means that your doctor can’t tell your parents or caregivers.
Remember that condoms are the only form of birth control that also prevents the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs, sometimes called sexually transmitted diseases or STDs). To prevent STIs and be extra sure that you don’t get pregnant when you don’t want to, use condoms and another form of birth control. Learn more about how to use condoms.
Peeing after sex DOES help prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs), though, so we still recommend a trip to the bathroom after sex!
If you’re 10-26 years old, stop by the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center for free, confidential health care, including birth control, STI testing and treatment, and education about how to have safer sex. No judgment, no charge.
