- With Mayo Clinic obstetrician and medical editor-in-chief
Roger W. Harms, M.D.
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Roger W. Harms, M.D.
Roger W. Harms, M.D.
"Nothing helps people stay healthy more than the power of real knowledge about health." — Dr. Roger Harms
As medical director of content, Dr. Roger Harms is excited about the potential for Mayo Clinic's health information site to help educate people about their health and provide them the tools and information to live healthier lives.
The Auburn, Neb., native has been with Mayo Clinic since 1981 and is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology. Dr. Harms is a practicing physician and associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, and his specialty areas include office gynecology, high-risk obstetrics and obstetrical ultrasound.
From 2002 to 2007, Dr. Harms was director for education at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dr. Harms was the 1988 Mayo Medical School Teacher of the Year and served as associate dean for student affairs and academic affairs. He is the co-author of the "Mayo Clinic Model of Education." In 2008, Dr. Harms was presented the Distinguished Educator Award, Mayo Clinic, Rochester.
Dr. Harms is vice chair of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and medical editor of the Pregnancy section on this website. In addition, Dr. Harms is editor-in-chief of the "Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy" book, a month-by-month guide to everything a woman needs to know about having a baby.
"My medical education experience has grown out of a love of teaching, and that is what this site is about," Dr. Harms says. "If any visitor to this site makes a more informed and thus more comfortable decision about his or her health because of the information we provide, we are successful."
Birth control basics (3)
- Birth control: Can pre-ejaculation fluid cause pregnancy?
- Sperm: How long do they live after ejaculation?
- Ovulation signs: When is conception most likely?
Birth control pills (4)
- Birth control pills: OK to take indefinitely?
- Seasonale: Is breakthrough bleeding more common?
- Birth control pills for acne?
- see all in Birth control pills
Sterilization (1)
- Vasectomy: Does it increase my risk of prostate cancer?
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Question
Birth control: Can pre-ejaculation fluid cause pregnancy?
Can you get pregnant from pre-ejaculation fluid?
Answer
from Roger W. Harms, M.D.
Yes. Pre-ejaculation fluid may contain sperm, which means that a woman can get pregnant even when ejaculation doesn't occur within the vagina.
Withdrawal of the penis from the vagina before ejaculation is one of the oldest methods of birth control. It's free, readily available and has no side effects. Still, withdrawal is unreliable at best — and it offers no protection from sexually transmitted infections.
If you're trying to prevent pregnancy, choose a more reliable type of birth control. If you're not sure which type of birth control is best for you, ask your doctor to help you understand the options.
Next questionSperm: How long do they live after ejaculation?
- Birth control methods. The National Women's Health Information Center. http://www.womenshealth.gov/faq/birth-control-methods.cfm. Accessed July 11, 2011.
- Natural methods of family planning FAQ. Family Health International. http://www.fhi.org/en/RH/FAQs/natural_faq.htm. Accessed July 11, 2011.
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