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Me and my boyfriend have decided that we're both not ready for sexual intercourse (personal reasons), but we'd like to increase our physical intimacy just a tad bit. How effective is "outercourse" at birth control? By outercourse I mean no vaginal penetration, with underwear on both people as a barrier. Can sperm travel through underwear or leggings?
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Hi Anon,
Thank you for reaching out to EmpowHER with your question! If you are engaging in outercourse and there is no actual penetration, then you are safe from becoming pregnant. Outercourse is a sexually pleasing act that can be done without contraception because it has zero risk of pregnancy. It is not possible for sperm to swim through underwear or other kinds of clothing.
Here is a very helpful article on EmpowHER that talks about outercourse and what it is: https://www.empowher.com/community/share/outercourse-dry-humping-dry-sex-and-other-sexual-behaviors.
When you and your boyfriend do decide to start having sex, it is important that you use a form of birth control to lower the risk of pregnancy.
I hope this helped! Please let me know if you have further questions.
Best,
October 4, 2014 - 11:07amErin
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