How to Flush Sperm Out of Your Body

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Learn about your vagina, sperm, and how to avoid pregnancy

Co-authored by Eric McClure

Last Updated: September 17, 2024 Fact Checked

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Cleaning the Vagina

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Can I clean semen from my vagina to prevent pregnancy?

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Common Semen Removal Myths

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How to Prevent Pregnancy

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Common Misconceptions

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General Cleanup Tips

It’s normal to wonder what kind of cleanup you should be doing if you just had sex, especially since so much energy and time is dedicated to talking about the act itself. Your goal might be to clean yourself up after sex, or it might actually be to avoid a pregnancy by removing semen from your body quickly. Either way, we’ll address your concerns below—we’ll begin with hygienic solutions, then follow up with pregnancy prevention information and tips.

Things You Should Know

Once sperm enters the vagina, it’s basically impossible to get it out even if you douche, take a bath, or urinate.
Your vagina cleans itself, so do not put any chemicals or cleaning solutions inside of yourself after sex.
The best way to keep sperm out of your body is to use contraception, such as condoms, birth control pills, or an IUD.
If you do suspect you have sperm inside of your body, go to your local pharmacy ASAP and ask for the Plan B pill to prevent a pregnancy.

Section 1 of 6:

Cleaning the Vagina

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Urinate after you have sex. Peeing after sex is a part of standard best practices for sexual hygiene. It can help by flushing any bacteria you have picked up during sex. This may prevent an irritating infection while clearing out your urethra.^{[1]
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- If you do ever get an infection, know that they’re extremely common and you have nothing to be embarrassed or concerned about. Just see a doctor to get treatment and you’ll be okay.^{[2]
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Your vagina will clean itself, but consider using soap and water to wash your vulva. Your vagina naturally cleans itself even if there’s sperm in there. If you want to freshen up your vulva and outer areas, hop in the shower or wipe yourself. Lather up a clean washcloth with warm water and unscented soap and wipe your vulva from front to back.^{[3]
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- You’re actually not cleaning your vagina here; you’re cleaning the vulva. The vagina is the passageway inside of your body that leads to the cervix. Don’t introduce any foreign cleaning products or contaminants by putting things inside of your vagina.

Section 2 of 6:

Can I clean semen from my vagina to prevent pregnancy?

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There is no amount of cleaning in the vagina or vulva that will prevent pregnancy. The white fluid that men ejaculate is semen, and in that semen is the sperm, which contains the male reproductive cells that lead to pregnancy. Unfortunately, semen moves extremely quickly, and it’s microscopic, which makes scraping or washing it out of the vagina impossible.^{[4]
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- Cleaning your vulva will help you feel or smell cleaner, but it’s not going to impact any sperm inside of your vagina.
- Sperm cells can reach the uterus in under a minute in some cases, so it’s really not something you can realistically prevent from happening if the semen is already inside of the vagina.
- Even if you could remove the semen after sex, men produce pre-ejaculate (aka pre-cum), which is sperm and semen that comes out before a man has reached completion.

Section 3 of 6:

Common Semen Removal Myths

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Urine actually comes out of the urethra, which is completely separate from the vagina. So, when you urinate after sex, your urine and the semen never actually cross paths. This may help prevent UTIs, but peeing won’t help prevent pregnancy or flush the semen out of your body.^{[5]
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You can douche to flush the semen out. Douching involves filling a small douchebag with a cleaning solution and inserting it into the vagina to flush fluids out. If you’ve just had sex, it makes sense that douching might get the sperm out. Unfortunately, it doesn’t—the semen is just too fast and hard-to-reach. In fact, douching may even help the semen swim deeper in the vaginal canal, so don’t douche after sex.^{[6]
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- While douching used to be a super popular part of the hygiene regimen for many women, it’s been proven to be not only unnecessary, but bad for your vaginal health.^{[7]
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Taking a bath will get the sperm out. If you want to take a long, relaxing bath after sex, go for it girl! But don’t expect this to get any semen out.^{[8]
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Research source} Not only will the water not remove all of the semen, but water doesn’t normally enter the vagina when you take a bath.^{[9]
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- Even if you could flush your vagina out with bathwater, the sperm is likely going to already be at your cervix by the time you get your clothes off and draw your bath.
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Vinegar is safe to use as a semen cleansing method. Do not put vinegar of any kind in your vagina. It’s a popular DIY remedy you might come across online, but it’s not going to help get sperm out of your body.^{[10]
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Research source} On top of that, vinegar will disrupt your vagina’s natural pH balance and kill off good bacteria you need to stay healthy and increase the odds you develop an infection.^{[11]
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Cleveland Clinic
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- The same goes for coconut oil, essential oils, or yogurt. Your body works just fine the way it is, and none of those chemicals belong in your vagina.

Section 4 of 6:

How to Prevent Pregnancy

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Birth control The best way to avoid pregnancy is to use some kind of birth control. Don’t worry if you aren’t 18, either—in almost every state you can get condoms or birth control medications if you’re underage.^{[12]
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Research source} Here are the popular safe and proven options:
- Condoms – Using a condom is easy, inexpensive, and can help prevent the spread of STDs.
- Birth control pills – Taking pills on a regular schedule is a great way to prevent pregnancy, but you do need to see a doctor to get a prescription.
- Birth control shots – Getting a regular injection may be ideal if you don’t like a daily pill but you want something that requires no preparation on your end.
- IUD – Getting an IUD is a good option if you don’t want to remember a pill schedule. This device goes inside of you and blocks sperm from reaching the egg.
- Diaphragms, caps, and rings – Seeing a doctor to get a birth control device inserted can be a good middle-ground between a permanent IUD and a regular pill or shot.
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Abstinence If you are extremely worried about pregnancy or you simply don’t know if you’re ready for PIV sex, it’s 100% okay to abstain from sex. Don’t let anybody pressure you into doing something you aren’t ready for. Know that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with just taking things slow and holding off on penetrative sex.^{[13]
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- There are plenty of ways to experience sex that don’t involve penis-in-vagina sex. You’d be surprised how much fun you and your partner can have just with your mouths and hands!
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Plan B If you do end up having unprotected PIV sex, head to your nearest pharmacy and ask the pharmacist for the Plan B pill (it comes in a variety of generic names, but they’ll know what you mean). This may help prevent an unwanted pregnancy. You can take the Plan B pill to prevent a pregnancy up to 5 days after having sex, but the faster you can take it, the more effective it will be.^{[14]
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Mayo Clinic
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- Unfortunately, some states require a doctor’s appointment or parental approval.
- The Plan B pill is not an “abortion pill” as some outlets have mistakenly reported. It simply prevents fertilization from taking place.

Section 5 of 6:

Common Misconceptions

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You can’t get pregnant if he pulls out before ejaculating. Don’t get us wrong, pulling out is 100% better than not pulling out. But that doesn’t mean it’s a good alternative to birth control. For one, it relies on a guy being perfectly in-tune with his body and having self-control. On top of that, men have pre-ejaculate that comes out before they finish, and that pre-ejaculate can get you pregnant.^{[15]
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- Pre-ejaculate can contain just as much sperm as the semen that comes out when a man reaches completion.^{[16]
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You can avoid pregnancy by planning around your period. Women are most fertile in the 12-14 days before their period. As a result, a lot of women believe that they can’t get pregnant when they’re on their period (or just after their period). Unfortunately, this just isn’t true. Even though the odds are much lower, it’s still possible to get pregnant on or after your menstrual cycle.^{[17]
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Cleveland Clinic
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- Like pulling out, it’s better to track your ovulation schedule than not, but it’s by no means a surefire option.

Section 6 of 6:

General Cleanup Tips

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Lay a towel down before sex or switch your sheets. Between the sweat, sperm, vaginal fluid, and (potentially) lube, sex can get messy. If you aren’t fond of the mess you’re making, put a towel down on the bed before you go at it with your partner. Alternatively, wipe up any messes with a clean cloth or just swap your bedsheets when you’re done.^{[18]
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- Clean any sex toys you use with soap and warm water. You can also put nonporous silicone toys in the dishwasher. Clean any porous toys very thoroughly with warm water.^{[19]
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