The life-span of sperm
Question
How long does sperm live once it's in the open-air?
Answer
How long sperm can live in the open-air depends on the situation, what kind of environment it's in and how much sperm is present. But, on average, sperm can't live for much longer than a few hours in the open-air. It's important to remember that if sperm is inside a women's body, it can survive for up to seven days.
There is a risk of pregnancy if sperm comes into contact with the vagina in any way including from sperm on fingers. If you think that sperm may have come into contact with your vagina within the last five days, and you don't want to get pregnant, you should seek advice on emergency contraception as soon as possible.
If you think you might be pregnant, for example, if your period is late, you can get a urine test done to find out for sure. Most pregnancy tests state that they work as soon as a period is late. If you don't have a regular cycle it can be difficult to know when your period is due, so it's best to take the test three weeks after having unprotected sex (as this is roughly how long it will take for the hormone levels to show up on the test).
You can get a free pregnancy test from:
- Your local Brook Centre (under 25s only);
- Your local family planning clinic;
- Some local doctors (GPs).
All of these services are confidential and they'll be able to talk through how you feel and the options open to you.
You can also pay for a test at a chemist; they can do a test or sell a home pregnancy testing kit.
If you want to discuss any aspect of your sexual health you can call the Brook Helpline on 0800 0185 023.
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