There are lots of things about sex that can be confusing, and this is especially true for how pregnancy occurs. Not everyone is taught in school how to put on a condom, or that when sperm fertilizes an egg inside a person with a uterus, they are pregnant. This is why the providers at your nearby The Right Time health center take the time and care to answer any questions their patients might have about sex — because everyone should be able to choose if, when, and under what circumstances to get pregnant.
Another common question that many folks have about pregnancy is if they can get pregnant from oral sex — which is defined as using the mouth to stimulate the vagina, penis, or anus. The answer is no. The reason is that the digestive system (aka the organs your body uses to digest food, mainly being your stomach and intestines) is separate from the reproductive system (which includes the uterus and vagina in people who can get pregnant). For a pregnancy to occur, sperm must make its way into the vagina, through the cervix, and into the uterus where it fertilizes an egg. If sperm is swallowed, it goes into the stomach where it is broken down by digestive juices, and then exits the body in urine and feces. It does not come into any contact with the uterus or the vagina when it travels this path through the body, so swallowing sperm cannot result in a pregnancy.
However, a person can get an STI from oral sex. This is because the skin inside of the mouth is the same type of skin found on the head of the penis, labia, vagina, and rectum, all of which are vulnerable to infections like HPV. HPV is the most common STI in the United States, and it can live in the mouth and in the back of the throat. The best way to protect yourself from HPV and other STIs if you’re having oral sex is to get the HPV vaccine, and to use contraceptives like condoms, which you can get for free or at a low-cost at your nearest The Right Time health center.