Hi Kiara,

Thanks for your question. 

First, let’s talk about the probability of getting pregnant from rubbing. When a penis is rubbed on a vulva, without penetration, nor ejaculation, the possibility of a pregnancy is very low, but not entirely impossible. This very slight chance comes from the presence of pre-cum near the vagina. As my colleague Sophie says in this previous answer:

“This liquid is not the same as sperm, both in its coloration (transparent instead of opaque and white) and in its content and purpose. This liquid’s purpose is to prepare the way for if-and-when sperm comes out and it doesn’t contain any spermatozoa by itself. It is, in theory, possible for pre-cum to contain a small quantity of spermatozoa, if one has had a very recent ejaculation. Even then, the concentration would be very small and they wouldn’t last long. Without sperm, they die off quickly (they’re not very resilient) and without penetration and an ejaculation, their chances of reaching an ovum is almost nil.”

But, because it takes only one good spermatozoon to reach an ovum, we can’t say this is 100% impossible. So, even if your boyfriend’s penis poked the opening of your vagina, the chances of getting pregnant this way are still low, because there was no ejaculation and no penetration. Of course, the only way to know for sure about a possible pregnancy is to take a pregnancy test, which can be accessible at drugstores, clinics, doctors offices or even on Amazon.

Finally, if you’re planning to have other sexual relations and are not considering a pregnancy in the near future, I suggest using a condom or/and a birth control, even if there’s no penetration. This way, there would be no stress about the chances to get pregnant and you would also avoid getting a blood-borne and sexual transmitted infection (BBSTI)!

I hope this answers your question. Feel free to contact us again anytime.

Émilie (she/they), for AlterHéros