Does Peeing After Sex Prevent Pregnancy?

Does peeing after sex prevent pregnancy?

The short answer is no. 

If you’re trying to get pregnant, peeing after sex won’t stop you from getting pregnant.

If you’ve had unprotected sex and don’t want to get pregnant, don’t rely on a trip to the toilet as a reliable form of contraception.

Does peeing after sex prevent pregnancy? Let’s debunk this myth.

What does peeing after sex do?

Although it’s always tempting to snuggle up and spoon after sex, it’s advisable for women to get up and pee. Passing urine helps to flush away any harmful bacteria that might be lurking in your urethra. 

To be honest, this might be a reason for penis envy. Not only can males pee standing up (and write their names while they are at it) but they also have a longer urethra, conveniently situated inside the penis.

Harmful bacteria have a much longer distance to travel before reaching the male bladder, not to mention the greater distance between the urethra and the anus.

All of this means men are less prone to the dreaded urinary tract infection (UTI) caused by bacteria in the urinary tract. 

The female urethra is much shorter and its close proximity to both the vagina and the anus means harmful bacteria can reach the bladder more quickly in women than in men. 

This makes women more susceptible to urinary tract infections, and is a good reason to pee after having sex. Apart from the obvious need to empty a full bladder and have a bit of a wash, it’s the only reason to pee after having sex. 

Will peeing after sex prevent UTI?

There is no evidence to confirm peeing after sex will prevent urinary tract infections, but it will reduce the risk. 

It’s particularly important if you’re having a bit of a ‘sexathon’ (sex marathon). You know what I mean, right? We’re talking about those times when love and lust collide, and sex for breakfast, lunch and dinner is still not enough. 

If you’re going to spend the weekend in bed, then be more vigilant about peeing after each session. It will greatly reduce the risk of harmful bacteria being reintroduced with each session of intercourse. 

If you’re prone to getting frequent UTIs, or you’re planning a romantic getaway, then consider these steps to minimise your risk: 

• Keep your bladder empty by peeing before and after sex. This flushes away any bacteria that are lurking around
• Stay well hydrated. Drink a glass of water after sex
• Wipe from front to back when cleaning yourself after peeing and sex
• Use vaginal lubricant to avoid friction, which can irritate the urethra and increase the risk of infection
• Avoid using a diaphragm and spermicide if you’re prone to UTIs. They can kill off the healthy bacteria that keep harmful bacteria in check. 

How soon after sex should I pee?

If possible, try and pee within 30 minutes of having sex. This increases the UTI prevention benefits. If you don’t really need to have a wee:

• Drink a big glass of water
• Sit on the toilet for a few extra minutes
• Turn on a tap and watch, or listen to the sound of, the running water.

Does peeing after sex prevent STDs? 

The bacteria that cause sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are different from the bacteria that cause urinary tract infections, and they affect the body in a different way. STD bacteria is absorbed into your body via small tears in the mucous membranes of your vagina.

Peeing after sex won’t protect you from getting an STD.

The most reliable way of protecting yourself from getting STDs is to use a condom, and for you and your partner to have regular screening. 

Can I pee after sex if I want to get pregnant?

We’ve asked the question: ‘Does peeing after sex prevent pregnancy?’ and we’ve answered it. 

What about if you want to get pregnant? Can you pee after sex?

Yes, you can  – even if you are trying to get pregnant.

You might have been told you should lie still, or even put your legs up against the wall, to increase your chances of falling pregnant. 

There have been several studies on the effectiveness of this tactic, but the results reveal there are no positive benefits in resting after sex. 

Sperm are programmed to swim up the cervical canal into the uterus. They eventually find the fallopian tube where the egg is waiting to be fertilised. 

This occurs regardless of gravity or your position. After ejaculation, it can take between 2 and 10 minutes for the sperm to reach the fallopian tubes.

Conception takes place when just one of the sperm penetrates the egg in the fallopian tube. It can happen as soon as three minutes after sex or it might take up to five days. By the time you get up to pee, the fastest swimming sperm will have already travelled up through your cervix. 

It’s important to remember you’re not considered pregnant until implantation occurs. This is when the fertilised egg attaches to the uterine wall, and that can happen anywhere from 5 to 15 days after you’ve had sex. 

Check out How To Increase Your Chances Of Getting Pregnant – 10 Tips if you’re trying to conceive. 

Can sperm survive in urine?

Urine and sperm don’t mix in the male body. Sperm is only found in male ejaculate, the fluid that comes out during orgasm. A single ejaculate contains between 20 and 400 million sperm. 

Even though urine and ejaculate come out of the urethra, they can’t come out at the same time. Nature has put a little safety valve in place to make sure no urine is released when a man ejaculates, so there’s no mixing of fluids. 

Ejaculated sperm can live up to five days in the vagina, due to the protective effects of cervical mucus. Sperm, however, doesn’t live for very long outside of the body and will die within minutes on cold, dry objects. 

Can you still get pregnant if the sperm comes out? 

You now know the answer to: ‘Does peeing after sex prevent pregnancy?’ But what about when you get up to pee after sex and you feel a lot of fluid come out of your vagina. 

Up to 35% of the ejaculate will slide out when you get up after sex, and some might fall out when you pee. 

However, by this time the winning team has already reached your fallopian tubes, and one of them might have hit the jackpot already. 

Any semen that comes out when you get up to have a pee wouldn’t have made it to your cervix anyway.

This is great news if you are trying to get pregnant but if you’re not, don’t rely on it as a form of contraception! 

Does peeing after sex prevent pregnancy from precum? 

Precum is the fluid that seeps out of the penis during arousal in preparation for ejaculation. It lubricates the urethra, and makes it easier for sperm to be ejaculated.

Does peeing after sex prevent pregnancy if your partner doesn’t ejaculate? 

Precum doesn’t contain sperm but if there’s any sperm leftover from a previous session of sex or masturbation, there could be remnants of sperm in the urethra.

If a man urinates before sex, any leftover sperm in the urethra will be flushed out. This makes it less likely that sperm will be present in the precum. But don’t rely on this to prevent pregnancy.

All in all, does peeing after sex prevent pregnancy? No – but peeing before and after sex is a good idea for both partners.

Having sex with a full bladder isn’t that comfortable anyway, and the benefits of peeing outweigh the interruptions to foreplay and post-coital cuddles. 

Read more about pregnancy and precum.