Will my wife ever conceive?

What you need to know:

  • If you are 35 to 40, talk to a specialist after you have tried for six months with no luck. And if you are younger than 35, it is probably fine to keep trying for a year before seeking assistance.

Ask the Doctor
Dear doctor when I sleep with my wife she says my semen flows out. Is it normal for semen to flow outward after ejaculation? Will this woman get pregnant? Is my semen mere “water” without sperms?
Okello

Dear Okello: Many people wash their private parts or even squat after sex to wash away sperms but this never prevents pregnancy.
In the same vein, lying down supine after sex to retain semen in the vaginal canal does not necessarily increase chances of pregnancy. It is normal for some semen to flow outward, especially when a woman squats after sex due to the effect of gravity. Since much of the semen is retained, a woman will get pregnant regardless of the seminal outflow and that is the reason why squatting or complete vaginal washout after sex has never been a good method of contraception.
Semen immediately thickens upon ejaculation but slowly liquefies over the course of 10 to 30 minutes to become a watery substance, which then may be seen to exit the vaginal canal if a woman squats.

The liquefaction releases sperms to swim and go to the fallopian tubes to cause pregnancy. Therefore, the watery liquid which exits the vaginal canal will not normally stop a woman from conceiving.
To the contrary, if one has problems of semen liquefaction, the semen may fail to exit the vaginal canal after sex even when a woman squats for hours.
This may happen due to infection, prostate problems and dehydration which may cause one to fail to properly release sperms to cause fertilisation and pregnancy.

EXPERTS SAY
Medical attention. If you are 35 to 40, talk to a specialist after you have tried for six months with no luck. And if you are younger than 35, it is probably fine to keep trying for a year before seeking assistance.