Last updated on October 27, 2020
Question:
My boyfriend and I were involved in a physical relationship when my period was running. I think it was day seven of my period. But we did not have intercourse and had stayed clothed. Is there any possibility that I could get pregnant?
Please reply. It’s urgent.
Answer:
Whenever a couple is involved in sexual actions, the chance of pregnancy always exists. How high the odds of an actual pregnancy depends on what happened.
When a male is sexually aroused, fluid drips from the end of his penis. That fluid can contain sperm — not much, but it must be remembered that it only takes one sperm reaching the egg to fertilize it. If he ejaculates semen, then the odds rise rapidly higher because the average male has about a half-billion sperm in each ejaculation.
Another factor is where these fluids are placed. For fertilization to take place, the sperm must reach the egg. Sperm can swim, but the farther they are from the egg, the less likely they are to survive the journey. So if your boyfriend’s fluids only were placed near the opening of your vagina, the odds are less than if he had his penis in your vagina. Clothing is not a barrier to sperm because the weave is too large.
The third factor is when this took place. Females release an egg 14 days before the start of their next period. An egg can only be fertilized on the day of its release. However, a male’s sperm can survive up to six days inside a woman, so sex anywhere from 20 to 14 days before a woman’s next period can result in pregnancy. The problem is that when the next period starts can vary from as little as 14 days to as long as 36 days between periods.
Since I don’t know the details of what happened, I cannot tell you what the odds are of you getting pregnant. However, I can tell you that what you and he are doing is wrong. Even though you did not have intercourse, you are still sinning by lewd behavior. “Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Romans 13:13-14).