Something else? Ask Aunt Vadge – bottom left of your screen!
Hi Aunt Vadge,
I’m really stressed. My boyfriend fingered me, but he was also masturbating with his other hand and ejaculated into that hand. He washed his hands afterwards, then fingered me again a short while later. My period is now late and I have tender breasts and nausea. Could there be any chance I’m pregnant? I’m hoping it’s just an irregular cycle.
Sincerely,
S.
South Africa
Dear S,
The facts will settle your nerves. The pregnancy risk from what you’ve described is very low. Fingering on its own doesn’t cause pregnancy – for that, semen has to get inside the vagina – and he ejaculated into his other hand and then washed his hands, and washing removes sperm. So by the time he touched you again there was nothing viable to transfer.
That’s the key detail, and it’s working in your favour. Your symptoms are reassuring too: tender breasts and nausea are classic premenstrual signs, caused by the very same hormones that bring your period on. So a late period with these symptoms most often means your period is simply on its way, especially if your cycle isn’t fully regular yet.
To put it to rest completely, the one thing that gives a definite answer whenever a period is late and you’ve had a worry is a home pregnancy test – they’re accurate from the first day of a missed period, so taking one will stop the spiralling and give you certainty, which is worth a lot.
I’m confident it’ll be negative, but you deserve to actually know rather than guess. And going forward, it’s well worth learning how to track your cycle and when you can and can’t get pregnant, because understanding how your fertility works means you won’t have to panic after every bit of closeness, and if you ever move on to penetrative sex you’ll know exactly when contraception matters.
You’re very likely just about to get your period.
Best,
Aunt Vadge
This is general information, not a substitute for personalised medical advice.
