Can you get pregnant if you have sex standing up?
- Justine*

Yes, you can.

Any time a girl has vaginal sex with a guy, she is at risk for becoming pregnant. It doesn't matter how or where a couple has sex — whether they're standing up, the girl's on top, or they're in a pool or hot tub, or any other way — a girl is at risk for becoming pregnant.

Sperm can swim up against gravity, and they're fast. As soon as sperm make it inside the vagina, they start racing toward the girl's egg. Sometimes if a girl is standing up or on top, it might seem like all of a guy's ejaculate comes out of her vagina. But enough sperm can still get in to make her pregnant. Even if a guy pulls out before he comes, a girl can still get pregnant because it's possible for some sperm to escape into the vagina before a guy ejaculates.

It's also possible to get a sexually transmitted disease (STD) anytime you have sex (vaginal, anal, or oral), in any position. Condoms can help prevent pregnancy and STDs, so use them for any type of sex, in any position.

Reviewed by: Larissa Hirsch, MD
Date reviewed: January 2010

* Names have been changed to protect user privacy.