Why Does Sperm Leak Out Hours After Sex?
Published July 3, 2022.
Most women, at some point in their lives, have experienced sperm leaking out of their vaginas after having sex. Although this may be alarming for some or may even raise questions of infertility, especially for those couples actively trying to conceive, it is actually quite normal and is only a portion of the ejaculate.
Read on to learn more about why this happens.
Why Does Sperm Leak Out After Sex?
Sperm leakage refers to the discharge that exits the vagina after the man has orgasmed within her during sex. This means that there was enough of the ejaculate during the orgasm; therefore, some may leak out once the woman is upright, relaxed, and continuing with her day. This can actually be seen as a man having a healthy amount of sperm.
Is It Still Possible to Get Pregnant if the Sperm Comes Out?
Sperm leakage is definitely NOT a sign of infertility, nor will it lessen your chances of falling pregnant. To start, it is important to know that less than 5-10% of the ejaculate is actually sperm—over 90% is made up of other fluids. Therefore the small amount of ejaculate that leaks out of the vagina is not necessarily impacting the chances of pregnancy.
Once a man ejaculates within a woman, the sperm will separate itself from the remaining ejaculatory fluids. Some of the sperm will remain in the back of the vagina (the posterior fornix) and an even smaller amount will make its way up through the cervix within minutes, into the uterus, and along the fallopian tubes in hopes of fertilizing an egg. If you happen to be within the ovulation phase in your menstrual cycle, then conception chances can be quite high.
If you want to track your menstruation and its phases in order to know when you may be ovulating, you can use a calendar to mark the specific days in your cycle—or you can use an app. You can also take an ovulation test to determine whether or not you may be ovulating at that current moment and, if you are, you may want to have sex then and there and over the next few days.
It is also important to note that if your ovulation test is showing positive, meaning that you are about to ovulate, you can also be pregnant already at this time. Ovulation tests and pregnancy tests (although they work in a similar way) test different hormone levels and should therefore be used with the correct intention in mind. If your ovulation tests are continuously showing negative results, or if you experience irregular cycles, you can attempt to induce ovulation.
How Long Should Sperm Be Kept Inside to Get Pregnant?
If the man ejaculated deep within you during sex, then you can rest easy knowing that no matter how much ejaculate leaks out after sex, enough sperm would've reached the uterus. It is also advisable to lie on your back for about 15-20min after sex with hips slightly elevated, to assist the sperm with gravity for their journey to the uterus. This is enough time for the fastest sperm swimmers to make it to a potential egg. Sperm leakage after this waiting period will not hamper your chances of falling pregnant. Sperm can survive within the uterus for up to 5 days, so it is fair to give the sperm their chance in reaching the egg.
However, you can also increase your chances of falling pregnant by taking vitamins to boost fertility. Both men and women can take these vitamins to ensure they are keeping themselves healthy and giving conception the best chance of occurring.
Conclusion
Pregnancy will occur if all the right circumstances are in place and if you feel that you might be pregnant, then there's no harm in taking a pregnancy test. It is also important to keep in mind that conception can take time and is different for all couples. Sperm leakage should, therefore, not alarm you, nor will it affect your chances of falling pregnant.
