Can Making Out Get You Pregnant? The Definitive Answer

If you've never been taught how pregnancy works, you might wonder if doing something like kissing can cause you to become pregnant. We're here to bring you peace of mind and explain what does and what doesn't cause pregnancy. We'll also guide you through how pregnancy starts, how to prevent it, how to check if you're pregnant, and what to do next if your pregnancy tests come back positive.

Can you get pregnant from kissing too much?

No, kissing doesn't cause pregnancy. Women only get pregnant naturally if sperm from a man's ejaculate enters their vagina, goes into a fallopian tube, and fertilizes an egg released by an ovary. Then, the fertilized egg must implant inside the uterus. None of this occurs during kissing, oral sex, or dry humping.

Section 1 of 11:

Can kissing get you pregnant?

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When you kiss a partner with your mouth — whether you just use your lips or French kiss with your tongue — there's no possible way you can get pregnant simply by doing that.^{[1]
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Julia Eze, NP-C
Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner

Expert Interview} Even if you give them oral sex (or they give it to you), you still won't get pregnant from that act alone. You also can't get pregnant by hugging each other tightly or dry humping with your clothes on.^{[2]
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Section 2 of 11:

Can you get an STD from kissing?

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Yes, but the risk of getting an STD or STI from kissing is very low. The main sexually transmitted disease or infection to be aware of is oral herpes, a common infection affecting half of adults in the US that causes sores (called cold sores) around the lips and mouth. It comes and goes throughout your lifetime when you're stressed or ill. However, you can usually avoid it as long as the person who has it isn't experiencing a flare-up of sores when you kiss them.^{[3]
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- The only other time you should be worried about getting an STD or STI from kissing is if your partner has HIV or syphilis accompanied by open, bleeding sores in or around their mouth. Both of those STDs can spread through the blood. Therefore, it's best to avoid kissing anyone with sores on or in their mouth.
- There are rare cases of people getting infections after engaging in oral sex. But that can only happen when you have oral sex with someone who has an STD like chlamydia or gonorrhea and you swallow some of the fluid that comes out of their genitals. The infection occurs in your throat.

Section 3 of 11:

How Pregnancy Happens

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Most biological women are born with 3 reproductive organs: ovaries, fallopian tubes, and a uterus. Once a month (for most women), one of the ovaries releases an egg into its corresponding fallopian tube. When a male orgasms inside a female's vagina, he releases a fluid called ejaculate (or semen) containing millions of cells called sperm.^{[4]
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Julia Eze, NP-C
Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner

Expert Interview} These sperm travel up the fallopian tubes. If just one of those sperm attaches to the female's egg and fertilizes it, the egg transforms into a group of cells called a blastocyst. If the blastocyst completes its journey to the uterus and implants inside it, this group of cells develops into a baby.^{[5]
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Cleveland Clinic
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Section 4 of 11:

When in your cycle can you get pregnant?

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Women can get pregnant up to 24 hours after they ovulate. Generally speaking, women ovulate (release an egg from their ovary) around days 10-16 of a 28-day menstrual cycle.^{[6]
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Johns Hopkins Medicine
Official resource database of the world-leading Johns Hopkins Hospital

Go to source} If you don't want to get pregnant, use birth control or quit having sex for at least 5 days before ovulation and up to 24 hours afterward — a total of 6 days. This period is called your fertile window and is the only time of the month you can get pregnant.^{[7]
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Cleveland Clinic
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- NOTE: Not all women have a 28-day cycle — and even if they do, the time when they ovulate can still vary widely from person to person. If you need to know when your body ovulates so you can prevent pregnancy during your fertile window, we explain how to do that under the "How to Prevent Pregnancy" section below.

Section 5 of 11:

Things That Don't Cause Pregnancy

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Kissing and making out Making out can certainly make you feel all hot and bothered, but one thing it won't do is cause you or your partner to get pregnant. Remember, pregnancy happens when a male releases ejaculate into a female's vagina. Males release ejaculate from their penises, not their throats, tongues, or mouths, so there's no way a woman could ever become pregnant simply by receiving kisses.^{[8]
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Oral sex If you're worried that you might be pregnant after receiving or giving oral sex, put your mind at ease. Unless your partner somehow managed to ejaculate on or near your vagina at the same time that one of you was giving the other oral sex, you're not pregnant. You also don't have to worry if you gave your male partner oral sex and he ejaculated in your mouth and you swallowed it. There's no way you can get pregnant from swallowing ejaculate because the sperm can't travel from your throat or stomach to your reproductive organs.^{[9]
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Masturbating and orgasming If you and your partner masturbate each other, and he orgasms and releases ejaculate, can you get pregnant? It's highly unlikely. Again, the key to getting pregnant is the male must deposit his ejaculate inside your vagina or just outside the entrance to it. If he does it anywhere else on your body or on clothes or any other surfaces, the sperm won't be able to get from there to your fallopian tubes. For women, orgasming has no impact on whether they get pregnant or not.^{[10]
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Dry humping Humping or rubbing your genitals on each other when both of you are wearing clothes won't cause you to become pregnant. If your male partner releases ejaculate, it will either collect on the inside of his clothes or the outside of yours (if he's not wearing any).^{[11]
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Sitting on a toilet Some women worry they can become pregnant just by sitting on a public restroom toilet. But that can't happen. While sperm can survive for up to 5 days in the vagina, it dries very quickly when exposed to air. When it's dried up, it can no longer fertilize an egg, even if you somehow managed to get it into your body.^{[12]
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Ejaculating in a hot tub or pool Have you ever heard the urban legend that a woman can get pregnant by swimming in a hot tub or pool that a male has recently ejaculated in? Whether you have or not, you can relax because it's not going to happen to you. The odds of the sperm making it into your vagina in all that water — not to mention surviving for more than a few seconds in the water amid all those chemicals — are zero.^{[13]
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- However, if you have vaginal sex in a hot tub or pool, you can get pregnant because the sperm is able to enter your body directly through your male partner's penis.^{[14]
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Section 6 of 11:

Things That Can Cause Pregnancy

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Vaginal sex The number one act that causes pregnancy is vaginal sex. That's where a male inserts his penis into a female's vagina and releases ejaculate inside her. You can get pregnant this way even if he pulls out before he orgasms. That's because males release a small amount of pre-ejaculate (or pre-cum) before they "finish." Pre-ejaculate doesn't contain as many sperm as regular ejaculate, but a woman can definitely still get pregnant if any of those sperm make it into the fallopian tube.^{[15]
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- That's why pulling out isn't a foolproof form of birth control. Avoid relying on this method alone to prevent pregnancy if you really don't want to have a baby.
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Ejaculate near or in your vagina What if your partner pulls out successfully, but he still gets pre-ejaculate or ejaculate close to your vaginal opening? Or what if he fingers you right after masturbating and gets some of his ejaculate inside you that way? In either case, there's a slight possibility you'll get pregnant. Anytime sperm comes in close contact with your vagina, even on the outside, there's a risk of it transferring inside through your vaginal fluids, fingering, or your male partner inserting his penis inside you when the ejaculate is still fresh.
- Sperm can survive for up to 1 hour outside the vagina, providing it's allowed to sit at room temperature at 68 °F (20 °C). They die quickly when exposed to other temperatures.^{[16]
  X
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  Cleveland Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
  
  Go to source} They also dry fast on hard surfaces, which is why you shouldn't worry about getting pregnant from sitting on a toilet seat.^{[17]
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Anal sex (unlikely but still possible) In anal sex, a male partner pushes his penis into a female's anus (or butthole) and cums there instead of in her vagina. Normally, this wouldn't cause a woman to become pregnant because sperm can't travel from the anus to the fallopian tubes. However, if some of the ejaculate spills out of the anus and trails into the vagina, that might cause pregnancy. While unlikely, it's a scenario you need to be aware of if you and your partner enjoy anal sex.^{[18]
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Section 7 of 11:

How to Prevent Pregnancy

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Take birth control medication or use contraceptives. If you plan on being sexually active, one of the best ways to prevent pregnancy is to start birth control with medication (commonly referred to as "the pill") or a contraceptive device. Contraceptive devices include the NuvaRing, intrauterine devices (IUDs) like Mirena, or patches. All of these options, including the pill, work by releasing hormones into your body that stop you from getting pregnant.^{[19]
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Danielle Bezalel
Sex Educator

Expert Interview} The exception is the copper IUD, which doesn't release hormones but instead create a hostile environment in your uterus so the sperm can't survive.^{[20]
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Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals

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- The birth control pill is 99% effective — providing you remember to take it every single day.^{[21]
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  Mayo Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
  
  Go to source} If you have trouble remembering to take it, or you can't or don't like swallowing pills, Dr. Jennifer Butt, OBGYN, says the birth control patch is a "great option."^{[22]
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  Jennifer Butt, MD
  Board Certified Obstetrician & Gynecologist
  
  Expert Interview}
- Don't just choose a birth control method that your best friend takes, says Dr. Butt. Instead, talk to your doctor so they can look at your medical history "and perhaps family history," too. Based on that information, they'll help you find a solution that's best suited for your current health needs and habits.^{[23]
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  Jennifer Butt, MD
  Board Certified Obstetrician & Gynecologist
  
  Expert Interview}
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Have your partner wear a condom. If you don't want to or can't take a pill or use a contraceptive device (or if you want extra protection just in case), ask your male partner to use a condom when you're having sex. A condom is a plastic sheath that fits over an erect penis and catches the ejaculate.^{[24]
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Danielle Bezalel
Sex Educator

Expert Interview}
- Avoid having your partner wear more than 1 condom at a time. Condoms are specially designed to stay intact during sex, so there's no need to double up. Plus, wearing two of them at once can actually increase the risk the plastic will break because of the way the condoms rub against one another.^{[25]
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Track your ovulation so you can stop having sex during your fertile window. Earlier in the article, we said that women can only get pregnant around the time they ovulate (around days 10-16 of a 28-day menstrual cycle). If you track your ovulation schedule, you'll know when it's safe to have vaginal sex and when you should use a condom or abstain. Since every woman's menstrual cycle lasts a different number of days, calculate your ovulation for at least 3-6 months so your data is reasonably reliable, using one of these methods:^{[26]
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Johns Hopkins Medicine
Official resource database of the world-leading Johns Hopkins Hospital

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- Calendar method
- Basal body temperature method
- The Marquette Model (ovulation test)
- Cervical mucus method
- Fertility tracking apps (like Flo, Kindara, or Glow)
It may not sound like the most fun option, but practicing abstinence — especially during your fertile window — is the only 100% effective way to prevent unwanted pregnancy. If you're considering this method, know that you can still do other fun activities with your partner without getting pregnant like making out, oral sex, dry humping, and masturbation.

Section 8 of 11:

How to Find Out If You're Pregnant

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Take an at-home pregnancy test. At-home pregnancy tests are available at almost every grocery store, dollar store, and pharmacy (as well as online). They cost anywhere from $6-$15 for a box of 3 tests. To use the test, remove the cap from the strip, sit down on the toilet, and urinate on the strip for at least 5 seconds. Put the cap back on and wait 2-3 minutes (or however long the instructions tell you) while watching the window in the stick.
- If you see 2 lines or the test says, "Pregnant," it's a positive result (you might be pregnant).
- If only 1 line appears or the test says, "Not pregnant," you're probably in the clear.
- For best results, take the pregnancy test in the morning when you first wake up. The strip measures the amount of hCG in your urine, a hormone produced by an embryo in its earliest stages.^{[27]
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  PubMed Central
  Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
  
  Go to source} hCG is most highly concentrated in the morning.^{[28]
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  University of Rochester Medical Center
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- In rare cases, an at-home pregnancy test can yield a false positive result, meaning it says you're pregnant when you're not. This can happen if you take fertility medication that has hCG in it or if you lose the pregnancy right after the egg attaches itself to your uterus after being fertilized. It can also mean there's an issue with your reproductive organs.^{[29]
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  Mayo Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
  
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- At-home pregnancy tests can also say you're not pregnant when you really are. If you take more than one test and get different results each time, visit a doctor so they can test you and get more accurate results.
Even if you take an at-home pregnancy test, get a positive result, and experience early pregnancy symptoms, it's a good idea to visit a clinic and have a doctor order a urine test. Their results are more accurate, so you'll know for sure if you're pregnant or not. They may also run a blood test to double check your hCG levels and see how far along you are in your pregnancy.^{[30]
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MedlinePlus
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Section 9 of 11:

What to Do If You're Pregnant

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Telling your male partner you're pregnant is a critical first step. He needs to know this information so he can process it and help you make a decision on what to do next.
The next step is to tell people you trust, which hopefully includes family members like your parents. If this pregnancy was unexpected, if you and your partner are really young, or if the father doesn't want to be involved, you're going to need a lot of support.
After you confirm your pregnancy, make an appointment with an obstetrician/gynecologist (OB/GYN). This is a doctor who specializes in making sure women and their babies stay healthy throughout pregnancy and during delivery. Consider choosing one near your home address, so you don't have to travel far for your visits.
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Visit Planned Parenthood. If you want to explore other options for pregnancy, consider visiting a Planned Parenthood clinic in your area. They offer resources for expecting mothers, so you can make the best choices for your pregnancy based on your current life circumstances.
- Use the Planned Parenthood locator tool to find the nearest health center or chat with a representative by phone (1-800-230-PLAN) or telehealth.

Section 10 of 11:

Final Takeaway

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Kissing alone can't get you pregnant. It's impossible to get pregnant just by kissing or making out, even if you use your tongue. The only way you can get pregnant (outside of a procedure like IVF) is if the semen from your male partner's ejaculate enters your vagina. It can do that if you have vaginal sex and (more rarely) if you have anal sex or your partner ejaculates near your vaginal opening.

Section 11 of 11:

Frequently Asked Questions

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Can you avoid pregnancy by standing up during sex? No, standing up during sex doesn't prevent pregnancy. Gravity won't help sperm get out of your fallopian tubes.^{[31]
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Cleveland Clinic
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Can you avoid pregnancy by douching? No, douching or washing out the vagina after sex doesn't prevent pregnancy. By that time, the sperm has already traveled too far up into the reproductive organs for you to flush it out. Plus, douching could disrupt the balance of your vagina's bacteria and lead to infections.^{[32]
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Cleveland Clinic
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Can a woman get pregnant without sperm entering her body? No, unless she uses a method like in vitro fertilization (IVF). In IVF, doctors remove an egg from the woman's body, fertilizes it with a sperm in a lab, and then places the embryo back in her uterus.^{[33]
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Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals

Go to source} This method is helpful for couples who have trouble getting pregnant naturally (or women want children without a male partner).
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Can a girl get pregnant if the sperm is on the outside of her vagina? If the sperm never enters her vagina, then a woman can't get pregnant simply by having sperm on her skin.
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Can you get pregnant through pants? No, sperm can't travel through clothing.