Pre-ejaculate
Encyclopedia
Pre-ejaculate is the clear, colorless, viscous
fluid that emits from the urethra
of a man's penis
when he is sexually aroused. It is similar in composition to semen
, but has some significant chemical differences. The presence of sperm in the fluid is believed to be rare, however individual cases of a high sperm concentration have been recently published. Pre-ejaculate is believed to function as a lubricant and an acid neutralizer. The amount of pre-ejaculate emitted varies widely between individual men. There are some rare cases where men do not pre-ejaculate.
, masturbation
, foreplay
or at an early stage during sex
, some time before the man fully reaches orgasm
and semen
is ejaculated. It is primarily produced by the bulbourethral gland
s (Cowper's glands), with the glands of Littre (the mucus-secreting urethral glands) also contributing.
The amount of fluid that the human male issues varies widely among individuals. Some men do not produce any pre-ejaculate fluid, while others emit as much as 5 ml
.
Pre-ejaculate contains some chemicals associated with semen, such as acid phosphatase
. Some semen markers, such as gamma-glutamyltransferase, are completely absent from pre-ejaculate fluid.
, creating a more favorable environment for the passage of sperm. The vagina is normally acidic, so the deposit of pre-ejaculate before the emission of semen may change the vaginal environment to promote sperm survival.
Pre-ejaculate also acts as a lubricant during sexual activity, and plays a role in semen coagulation.
Men who do not produce any noticeable amount of pre-ejaculate past that used to lubricate the urethra are often benefited by actively exercising the pubococcygeus muscle, releasing seminal fluid before the orgasm occurs in full.
in most pre-ejaculate samples from infected men. Infection with HIV can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
(AIDS).
Popular belief--dating back to a 1966 Masters & Johnson study --states that pre-ejaculate may contain sperm that can cause pregnancy, which is a common basis of argument against the use of coitus interruptus
(withdrawal) as a contraceptive method. However, some studies have found that withdrawal could be almost as effective as condoms in preventing pregnancy. There have been several small-scale studies (sample sizes ranging from 4 to 23) that conclude no sperm is present, and thus, pre-ejaculate is ineffectual at causing pregnancy.
A noted limitation to these previous studies' findings is that pre-ejaculate samples were analyzed after the critical two-minute point. That is, looking for motile sperm in small amounts of pre-ejaculate via microscope after two minutes--when the sample has most likely dried--makes examination and evaluation "extremely difficult." Thus, in March 2011 a team or researchers assembled 27 male volunteers and analyzed their pre-ejaculate samples within two minutes after producing them. The researchers found that 11 of the 27 men (41%) produced pre-ejaculatory samples that contained sperm, and 10 of these samples (37%) contained a "fair amount" of motile sperm (i.e. as little as 1 million to as many as 35 million). As a point of reference, a semen sample containing at least 23 million sperm caused pregnancies in 2.5% of a study's sample within one year. Thus, even if a pre-ejaculate sample contained many millions of sperm, the odds of causing pregnancy are low.
It is widely believed that urinating after an ejaculation will flush the urethra of remaining sperm. It must be noted, therefore, that some of the subjects in the March 2011 study who produced sperm in their pre-ejaculate did urinate (sometimes more than once) before producing their sample. However, two things need to be kept in mind. First, the study suggests that some men can leak sperm into their pre-ejaculate (though the authors do not extrapolate on this supposition and the possible causes of such a phenomenon). Second, and most importantly, the authors admit that some of their subjects who submitted sperm-positive pre-ejaculate samples could have actually used their ejaculate--due to failure of producing pre-ejaculate--to avoid the "embarrassment" of not producing pre-ejaculate.
.
In such cases, one doctor recommended considering the differential diagnosis
of prostatorrhea, the emission of prostatic secretions during straining associated with urination
or defecation
.
, after the emission of pre-ejaculate fluid, ritual purification
is recommended, by washing the affected areas (including clothing) with water. The pre-ejaculate fluid calls for washing and ablution before praying. However, it does not require ritual purificatory bath
, unlike the semen
which comes after the ejaculation. For many other religions, pre-ejaculate is not of significance.
Viscosity
Viscosity is a measure of the resistance of a fluid which is being deformed by either shear or tensile stress. In everyday terms , viscosity is "thickness" or "internal friction". Thus, water is "thin", having a lower viscosity, while honey is "thick", having a higher viscosity...
fluid that emits from the urethra
Urethra
In anatomy, the urethra is a tube that connects the urinary bladder to the genitals for the removal of fluids out of the body. In males, the urethra travels through the penis, and carries semen as well as urine...
of a man's penis
Penis
The penis is a biological feature of male animals including both vertebrates and invertebrates...
when he is sexually aroused. It is similar in composition to semen
Semen
Semen is an organic fluid, also known as seminal fluid, that may contain spermatozoa. It is secreted by the gonads and other sexual organs of male or hermaphroditic animals and can fertilize female ova...
, but has some significant chemical differences. The presence of sperm in the fluid is believed to be rare, however individual cases of a high sperm concentration have been recently published. Pre-ejaculate is believed to function as a lubricant and an acid neutralizer. The amount of pre-ejaculate emitted varies widely between individual men. There are some rare cases where men do not pre-ejaculate.
Origin and composition
The fluid is discharged during arousalSexual arousal
Sexual arousal, or sexual excitement, is the arousal of sexual desire, during or in anticipation of sexual activity. Things that precipitate human sexual arousal are called erotic stimuli, or colloquially known as turn-ons. There are many potential stimuli, both physical or mental, which can cause...
, masturbation
Masturbation
Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation of a person's own genitals, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is a common form of autoeroticism...
, foreplay
Foreplay
In human sexual behavior, foreplay is a set of intimate psychological and physically intimate acts between two or more people meant to create desire for sexual activity and sexual arousal. Either or any of the sexual partners may initiate the foreplay, and they may not be the active partner during...
or at an early stage during sex
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
, some time before the man fully reaches orgasm
Orgasm
Orgasm is the peak of the plateau phase of the sexual response cycle, characterized by an intense sensation of pleasure...
and semen
Semen
Semen is an organic fluid, also known as seminal fluid, that may contain spermatozoa. It is secreted by the gonads and other sexual organs of male or hermaphroditic animals and can fertilize female ova...
is ejaculated. It is primarily produced by the bulbourethral gland
Bulbourethral gland
A bulbourethral gland, also called a Cowper's gland for anatomist William Cowper, is one of two small exocrine glands present in the reproductive system of human males...
s (Cowper's glands), with the glands of Littre (the mucus-secreting urethral glands) also contributing.
The amount of fluid that the human male issues varies widely among individuals. Some men do not produce any pre-ejaculate fluid, while others emit as much as 5 ml
Litér
- External links :*...
.
Pre-ejaculate contains some chemicals associated with semen, such as acid phosphatase
Acid phosphatase
Acid phosphatase is a phosphatase, a type of enzyme, used to free attached phosphate groups from other molecules during digestion. It is basically a phosphomonoesterase...
. Some semen markers, such as gamma-glutamyltransferase, are completely absent from pre-ejaculate fluid.
Function
Acidic environments are hostile to sperm. Pre-ejaculate neutralizes residual acidity in the urethra caused by urineUrine
Urine is a typically sterile liquid by-product of the body that is secreted by the kidneys through a process called urination and excreted through the urethra. Cellular metabolism generates numerous by-products, many rich in nitrogen, that require elimination from the bloodstream...
, creating a more favorable environment for the passage of sperm. The vagina is normally acidic, so the deposit of pre-ejaculate before the emission of semen may change the vaginal environment to promote sperm survival.
Pre-ejaculate also acts as a lubricant during sexual activity, and plays a role in semen coagulation.
Men who do not produce any noticeable amount of pre-ejaculate past that used to lubricate the urethra are often benefited by actively exercising the pubococcygeus muscle, releasing seminal fluid before the orgasm occurs in full.
Risks
Studies have demonstrated the presence of HIVHIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
in most pre-ejaculate samples from infected men. Infection with HIV can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
(AIDS).
Popular belief--dating back to a 1966 Masters & Johnson study --states that pre-ejaculate may contain sperm that can cause pregnancy, which is a common basis of argument against the use of coitus interruptus
Coitus interruptus
Coitus interruptus, also known as the rejected sexual intercourse, withdrawal or pull-out method, is a method of birth-control in which a man, during intercourse withdraws his penis from a woman's vagina prior to ejaculation...
(withdrawal) as a contraceptive method. However, some studies have found that withdrawal could be almost as effective as condoms in preventing pregnancy. There have been several small-scale studies (sample sizes ranging from 4 to 23) that conclude no sperm is present, and thus, pre-ejaculate is ineffectual at causing pregnancy.
A noted limitation to these previous studies' findings is that pre-ejaculate samples were analyzed after the critical two-minute point. That is, looking for motile sperm in small amounts of pre-ejaculate via microscope after two minutes--when the sample has most likely dried--makes examination and evaluation "extremely difficult." Thus, in March 2011 a team or researchers assembled 27 male volunteers and analyzed their pre-ejaculate samples within two minutes after producing them. The researchers found that 11 of the 27 men (41%) produced pre-ejaculatory samples that contained sperm, and 10 of these samples (37%) contained a "fair amount" of motile sperm (i.e. as little as 1 million to as many as 35 million). As a point of reference, a semen sample containing at least 23 million sperm caused pregnancies in 2.5% of a study's sample within one year. Thus, even if a pre-ejaculate sample contained many millions of sperm, the odds of causing pregnancy are low.
It is widely believed that urinating after an ejaculation will flush the urethra of remaining sperm. It must be noted, therefore, that some of the subjects in the March 2011 study who produced sperm in their pre-ejaculate did urinate (sometimes more than once) before producing their sample. However, two things need to be kept in mind. First, the study suggests that some men can leak sperm into their pre-ejaculate (though the authors do not extrapolate on this supposition and the possible causes of such a phenomenon). Second, and most importantly, the authors admit that some of their subjects who submitted sperm-positive pre-ejaculate samples could have actually used their ejaculate--due to failure of producing pre-ejaculate--to avoid the "embarrassment" of not producing pre-ejaculate.
Overproduction
In rare cases, a man may produce an excessive amount of pre-ejaculate fluid that can be a cause of embarrassment or irritation. A few case reports have indicated satisfactory results when such men are treated with a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor5-alpha-reductase inhibitor
5α-Reductase inhibitors are a group of drugs with antiandrogenic activity, used in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia and androgenic alopecia...
.
In such cases, one doctor recommended considering the differential diagnosis
Differential diagnosis
A differential diagnosis is a systematic diagnostic method used to identify the presence of an entity where multiple alternatives are possible , and may also refer to any of the included candidate alternatives A differential diagnosis (sometimes abbreviated DDx, ddx, DD, D/Dx, or ΔΔ) is a...
of prostatorrhea, the emission of prostatic secretions during straining associated with urination
Urination
Urination, also known as micturition, voiding, peeing, weeing, pissing, and more rarely, emiction, is the ejection of urine from the urinary bladder through the urethra to the outside of the body. In healthy humans the process of urination is under voluntary control...
or defecation
Defecation
Defecation is the final act of digestion by which organisms eliminate solid, semisolid or liquid waste material from the digestive tract via the anus. Waves of muscular contraction known as peristalsis in the walls of the colon move fecal matter through the digestive tract towards the rectum...
.
Religious attitudes
In Sunni IslamIslam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, after the emission of pre-ejaculate fluid, ritual purification
Islamic hygienical jurisprudence
Hygiene is a prominent topic in Islam. Islam has always placed a strong emphasis on personal hygiene. Other than the need to be ritually clean in time for the daily prayer through Wudu and Ghusl, there are a large number of other hygiene-related rules governing the lives of Muslims...
is recommended, by washing the affected areas (including clothing) with water. The pre-ejaculate fluid calls for washing and ablution before praying. However, it does not require ritual purificatory bath
Ghusl
Ghusl is an Arabic term referring to the full ablution required in Islam for various rituals and prayers. The ablution becomes mandatory for any adult Muslim after having sexual intercourse, any sexual discharge , completion of the menstrual cycle, giving birth, and death by natural causes.Islam...
, unlike the semen
Semen
Semen is an organic fluid, also known as seminal fluid, that may contain spermatozoa. It is secreted by the gonads and other sexual organs of male or hermaphroditic animals and can fertilize female ova...
which comes after the ejaculation. For many other religions, pre-ejaculate is not of significance.