There are many questions regarding sex that do not have a clear answer. Is there a point G? Is it possible to learn how to get an anal orgasm? Does lubrication indicate arousal? But there is one axiom that no one argues with: if you have unprotected penetrative sex, you risk getting pregnant. However, some women claim that they did not do this, but ended up in the hospital anyway.

In the summer of 2020, TikTok user Sammy Isabelle told a story from her past: it all started when she became ill during her graduation. Strange cramps, delayed menstruation – there were enough reasons to take the test. It was positive, says Sammy, adding: “So now I have a five-year-old son.” It would seem nothing special. Except for one thing: Sammy claimed she was… a virgin.

The video has collected almost 170 thousand views and more than a thousand comments. The girl was accused of cheating, and Sammy recorded another video in which she explained that she was not inventing anything and just wanted people to know that this happens. Isabelle was not the first: before her, 23-year-old Wathoni Anyasi, who also became pregnant while remaining a virgin, told about a similar case on YouTube.

A data-analysis publication in the British scientific journal The BMJ says: Of the 7,870 women who participated in a US health study, 45 said they had become pregnant as virgins and did not resort to either IVF or other reproductive technologies. The researchers found that most of them either took a vow of chastity or their parents did not discuss sex and contraception with them.

The researchers specifically noted that getting pregnant without penetrative sex is unlikely, and when collecting data on such cases, problems and distortions are possible. Simply put, the authors of the publication said the same thing as Isabelle’s TikTok commenters: “Perhaps the girls are wrong or they are making it up.”

However, doctors agree that “immaculate conceptions” are possible. Feinberg Medical School Professor Lauren Streicher, MD, says in Health magazine that many obstetricians encounter patients who give birth with an intact hymen. Jessica Shepherd, an obstetrician-gynecologist from Dallas, supports her: “The risk of getting pregnant this way is very low, because spermatozoa do not live long outside the body. However, this happens to women.”

Usually sperm and egg meet during penetrative sex, but there are exceptions. Dr. Shepherd explains that a virgin pregnancy can be caused by semen or pre-semen that has entered the vagina from the fingers. Another option: a man ejaculates when his penis is near the woman’s vagina, and a few drops can get there.

Particular attention should be paid to the precum, which often remains “in the shadows”: everyone is worried about sperm, but not about the colorless, subtle droplets of moisture that are released from the penis when a man is aroused. The task of the precum is to neutralize the residual acidity in the urethra, thus preparing it for the passage of the seed. Presemen at the same time contains spermatozoa and therefore can lead to pregnancy.

Mary Jane Minkin, clinical professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at the Yale School of Medicine, notes that the chances of conceiving a child without penetrative sex are more likely in women with high fertility. But how to guess if you got an organism ready to get pregnant from any sneeze? So it is better not to rely on natural data, but to be careful and protect yourself.

The anal canal is not connected to the vagina in any way, so there is nothing to worry about: there is no chance for sperm to get out of it into the uterus. But still, it is better to use barrier contraception: flowing out, sperm may end up where it should not be. Remember: safe sex is one that uses condoms, regardless of the sexual practice you choose.

There is another exception associated with anal sex: a condition called rectovaginal fistula. This is a congenital or acquired opening between the cavities of the rectum and vagina: sperm can seep through it. Fortunately, fistula is a fairly rare problem and only affects 0.33% of people. And, of course, condoms will be a lifesaver again: they will help, even if you are among those who are unfortunate enough to face this disease.

An alarming picture is drawn: I touched my boyfriend’s penis with my hands, reached for the clitoris – and that’s it, the vile sperm is already sneaking into your uterus! In fact, this is not so scary, and for the “immaculate conception” many factors must coincide. Everything matters: high fertility, and the phase of the menstrual cycle, and the time after which the sperm from the hands gets to the genitals.

Nevertheless, it should be remembered: the surest way to avoid unwanted pregnancy is protection. And condoms are a protection that will come in handy in any case: even if you are not fertile enough for the “immaculate conception”, no one has canceled sexually transmitted diseases.