Can Unprotected Sex Lead To Stomach Problems?

When it comes to sex and using protection, the discussion usually involves what condoms can and can't do. For example, they're the best way to avoid getting or transmitting STIs, but they're also not 100% effective. While that's something we should all be acknowledging (especially since STI rates have been on the rise), sometimes opting out of condom use can lead to other types of issues. You know, like having to abruptly untangle yourself from a post-coital cuddle thanks to a very unexpected case of diarrhea. Yes, you read that correctly — diarrhea.

Although it's normal to feel a bit jostled after an intense romp, if your stomach is cramping and you feel the need to run to the toilet, prostaglandins might be to blame. According to the Cleveland Clinic, prostaglandins are hormone-like lipids, in that they play a role in specific bodily functions, but they don't do so by way of the bloodstream. These lipids are a "primary component of seminal fluid" according to a 2019 study published in Fertility and Sterility and have been known to cause stomach cramping because of how they stimulate the uterus and other organs in your nether regions during sex.

But before you start shaking your finger at your penis-having partner for inadvertently making you sick, everyone has prostaglandins. Also, not every cramp and diarrhea sitch after intercourse is because of semen's components.

When you have unprotected vaginal intercourse and your partner ejaculates inside your vagina, those prostaglandins are immediately on the move, hitching a ride with the semen. As obstetrician and gynecologist Teresa Hoffman, M.D. told Women's Health, these compounds don't just stay put in the uterus. Instead, they're absorbed through vaginal walls, making their way to the intestines and other organs, where they can cause rapid contractions resulting in cramping and diarrhea. Granted, this isn't something that happens to everyone nor does it happens to some people every time they have unprotected vaginal intercourse, but it's always a possibility.

If semen can wreak such havoc on the bowels via the vagina, it must do the same (if not worse) through oral consumption, right? Wrong: it doesn't. While STIs can be transmitted through swallowing semen, as far as other ailments go, it's a low-risk bodily fluid thanks to stomach acids. "It is pretty clear that as long as the male partner is uninfected and the receptive partner is not allergic to his semen, it is unlikely that swallowing semen will have any negative effects on one's health," research fellow at the Kinsey Institute Dr. Justin Lehmiller, Ph.D. told Men's Health. In fact, in 2012 psychologist Gordon Gallup told Slate that semen consumption could alleviate morning sickness. It was a claim that immediately went viral, but as for how many pregnant women tried this in their private lives, we'll never know.

Although your partner's semen may be the reason for any cramping you might experience after sex, it's certainly not the only possible culprit. Post-sex cramps could be the result of anything from an STI or a urinary tract infection, to something more complicated like endometriosis or ovarian cysts. In other cases, the cramps could be caused by penetration that was too rough and too deep, PMS, or emotional trauma that you're still trying to navigate. If you're able to rule out your cramps being linked to unprotected intercourse, then that's great news! But if you start using a condom and the cramps continue, then you want to make an appointment to see a doctor.

While this type of post-sex pain, also called dyspareunia, is a common experience for 10 to 20% of people with vulvas, it doesn't have to be this way. Sex is supposed to be pleasurable and enjoyable. So, don't deny yourself what's very much a human right, and make sure you get things checked out if you have any sort of pain in that area.