Ejaculation and Wet Dreams

Jizz, juice, cum, bust, shoot your load. No matter what you call it, if you have a penis*, there’s a good chance that you can ejaculate or cum. This is perfectly normal and feels awesome!

People with vaginas can ejaculate too, but the focus of this page is on ejaculation for penises.

What is ejaculation?

When you ejaculate, the muscles push out semen (cum) out through the urethra at the tip of your penis.
This usually happens after touching or stimulating your penis or after having sexy thoughts or dreams.
You will typically have an orgasm when you ejaculate but this doesn’t always happen.

What is an orgasm?

An orgasm is the peak of sexual pleasure and usually involves muscle contractions in your sexual organs, lower pelvic muscles, and anus.
Orgasms can be very intense and can feel like hitting the peak of a hill on a roller coaster.
An orgasm also releases endorphins in your brain that make you feel really happy, relaxed and good.
For more information about sex, check out the Sex Section of this website.

Can I have an orgasm without ejaculating?

Yes, you can have an orgasm without ejaculating, though it is not very common.

Can I ejaculate without having an orgasm?

Yes, you can ejaculate (cum) without having an orgasm.

What is semen?

Semen is a whitish (or yellowish), sticky fluid that contains sperm (the cells that can fertilize an egg and get someone pregnant), as well as other fluids.
There are many different terms for semen such as jizz, cum, juice, cream, load, spooge, wad, man milk, spunk, etc.

What is precum?

Precum is the fluid that sometimes comes out of the tip of your penis when you are aroused.
Precum may only be a few drops of fluid.

Can precum cause pregnancy?

Precum itself should not contain any sperm and can therefore not cause pregnancy on its own.
While this is how bodies generally work, results of some studies indicate that a percentage of people do unavoidably leak sperm into their precum.
An earlier ejaculation (either from sex, masturbation, etc.) may leave sperm in the urethra. This sperm can get flushed out by precum (aka, the precum would then contain sperm), and together would have a chance to cause pregnancy.
Urinating can flush out any leftover sperm in the urethra. If people do this before having sex, then there should be no sperm in the urethra to be flushed out instead by the precum.
Even in cases where sperm does end up in precum, the risk of pregnancy from this does still tend to be low.
Whether or not somebody can get pregnancy also depends on if they’ve ovulated or not.

Can precum spread sexually transmitted infections (STIs)?

Yes! For more information on how to protect yourself from STIs see the STI Section.

When does ejaculation happen?

Ejaculation (or cumming) usually happens when you have an orgasm, but not always.
You may have an orgasm during sexual activity or when you are asleep and having a wet dream.

When will I start ejaculating?

Everyone ejaculates (cums) for the first time at a different age, usually when they are between 12 and 14 years old.
People often experience their first ejaculation while masturbating or sleeping.

What is premature ejaculation?

When you have trouble controlling when you ejaculate and ejaculate sooner than you want to.
Premature ejaculation is perfectly normal and can happen at any age.

Can I control when and how I ejaculate?

As you get older, people often get better at controlling how and when they ejaculate.
Try practicing the start and stop method when you are masturbating. When you are turned on (aroused) and feel like ejaculating, stop masturbating and try to hold it back. Once you have held it back for a few minutes, continue masturbating and holding back until you are ready to come.
For more information on masturbating, see our info page on Masturbation [Link].

What is a wet dream?

When you ejaculate (cum) during sleep, it’s called a wet dream.
These are usually accompanied by sexually charged dreams.
Wet dreams are really common when people are younger, and usually happen less often as you grow older.
Wet dreams are nothing to worry about. Plus, it can be fun and feel good to have sexy dreams!
Having a wet dream about someone doesn’t necessarily mean you’re attracted to them.

I have wet dreams all the time! Is that ok?

Yes! It is perfectly normal to have wet dreams often!
As you get a bit older and your hormones settle down, you will probably have fewer wet dreams.

If you have questions about this topic, feel free to contact one of our peer educators. [Link]

*We know that these aren’t the words everyone uses for their bodies (eg. trans folks), and support you using the language that feels best for you.

Last Edited: May 2020