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A new report from the Guttmacher Institute indicates that having a man pull out before ejaculation may be a more effective method of birth control than we’d previously believed.
The best available estimates indicate that with “perfect use,” 4% of couples relying on withdrawal will become pregnant within a year, compared with 2% of couples relying on the male condom. More realistic estimates suggest that with “typical use,” 18% of couples relying on withdrawal will become pregnant within a year, compared with 17% of those using the male condom. In other words, with either method, more than eight in 10 avoid pregnancy. …
“Hormonal and long-acting contraceptive methods, such as the IUD, are the most effective means of preventing pregnancy,” says lead author Rachel Jones of the Guttmacher Institute. “However, these methods are not suitable for or available to all women. Also, we’re hearing anecdotally that because of the current economy, fewer women are able to afford these more effective methods, yet many cannot afford to have another child right now. For these couples, withdrawal may be a good backup option when used in conjunction with condoms. Withdrawal can provide ‘extra insurance’ against pregnancy for all couples, even those using hormonal methods. And withdrawal is far more effective at preventing pregnancy than use of no method at all.”
The problems, of course, are that a) the dude has to actually pull out and b) this method does not protect against STDs. I keep replaying in my head all the sex-ed classes I had in middle school and high school, where they drummed into our heads that pulling out doesn’t work as birth control. The word “pre-cum” pops into my head. Lordy, did one of my teachers actually say that word out loud? I always have this mental image of little secret spermies crawling out of a dude’s penis before he “formally” ejaculates, and, according to my teachers, those little secret spermies were dead set on getting my ass knocked up.
Personally, I don’t like an 18% or 17% or 4% chance of an unplanned pregnancy. The birth control pill is a more reliable way to prevent pregnancy. But, I guess, if you can’t or won’t use the more reliable birth control, this approach is better than nothing. Way better than nothing, actually.
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It’s always worked for me but then there is the horrible time afterwards where you’re just not sure…
like I’m going to trust some dude’s brain in the seconds before he blows. No thank you scientists. I think I will stick with my pills (FREE!) and condoms (hey, mostly free too! PP is the best)
yeah, it was drilled into my head that you shouldn’t just rely on withdrawal (oh and the phrase pre-cum??? I cringe!) I’m glad for it too since it made me more likely to use condoms, hence my awesome STD-free status.
A baby’s not always the worst thing you’re going to get from sex, kids.
Pre-cum is actually really cool. Just saying, don’t knock our bodily fluids. You ladies have some weird stuff going on down there, too.
I just hate the phrase. I can picture my obese health teaching using it.
And you leave my women parts out of this Jeremy!! :)
It didn’t work for us!
Even one more % chance just ain’t worth it.
Don’t depend on pulling out if you really don’t want a kid. It worked for a little while, but I’m currently pregnant. So those ‘pre-cum’ swimmers still get by!
Pre-cum only has sperm in it if the guy has cum recently. If he urinates before you start getting your sex on then it shouldn’t have spermies in it. That’s what most studies say. I use birth control and we pull out most of the time. He’s never had a problem pulling out on time, I just let him stay every once in a while. There’s always a chance with everything except abstinence though…
You people are bad!!! Its mens fault for everything, now you want to add the extra responsabilty to have to pull out when the time is right? OMG! I have always been told that, that causes physo, problems… And Jeremy has even talked about his bodily fluids being smelly! So I conclude, if you cant shoot it on her face… Keep it in!
It’s funny to me how people make it sound like it’s so easy to get pregnant when you’re a teenager, like “If a drop of cum is in the vicinity of your vagina at any point in your cycle, then BAM, you’re preggo!”
Then when you’re trying to get pregnant it’s like, “You have to have sex 37 times during the 24 hours that you’re ovulating and his balls can’t be too warm and you can’t get up for 20 minutes, and if you’re wearing purple then you have to hop three times on your left foot and sing a chantey in A minor.”
ahaha i loved this comment, its so completely true.
Hahaha… so true:) I think young women have an easier time. My sister got pregnant when she was 17 the FIRST time she ever had sex. Later when she was in her early 30s it took her almost two years for her to get pregnant.
LORDY. I couldn’t imagine getting knocked up the first time I had sex. Poor thing. That would have scared me off of sex for ages.
that’s like totaling a car the very first time you drive. Afterwards, you’re like, fuck it. I’d rather just take the bus from now on.
“For these couples, withdrawal may be a good backup option when used in conjunction with condoms.”
omg…then what’s the point??!
I was confused by that too. I wonder if it was just poorly worded? I don’t really get it.
My boyfriend would be very unhappy if i asked him to wear a condom and STILL pull out. Thats a little overboard lol.
Um, would he be happier if you told him you were pregnant? I have read plenty of articles that say with proper use of a condom is 99.9% effective and is the best method of birth control. Pulling out is just not that good, plus it’s not fool proof. Just stick with the condoms.
Sure, the pill is effective at preventing pregnancy … but it’s not worth getting cancer! Seriously, read the literature on the links between pill and different types of cancer before you make a decision about birth-control. Ever since I had a fist-sized tumor removed from my right breast I’ve been off the pill and using condoms combined with spermicide instead. It’s been four years since my surgery, I haven’t had any more tumors, and I haven’t gotten pregnant either.
My husband and I have never ONCE used a condom the entire time we’ve been together and we’ve never even had a scare. We both come from ridiculously fertile families and it’s always been a joke to us that the pull out method works so well. I have NEVER been on birth control so I know it’s not after effects from that
I would never ever suggest someone in an uncommitted relationship rely on pull out but for us and other like us it works!
Katie my husband and I are in the same situation (knock on wood I’m not ready for babies). I tried the depo shot for about 5 years, but each consecutive year saw a decline in my sex drive. It was the same with a previous boyfriend when I was on the pill….only I was a little more prone to curse some guy out for skipping ahead of me in the customer service line in best buy (true story).
I think if you are going to use this method, be prepared completely that accidental pregnancy is a possibility, and I wouldn’t recommend doing it with the hot guy you picked up the bar the other night who had absolutely nothing interesting to say, but you really wanted to get in his pants because he was pretty.
does infertility run in families? I’m too lazy to google.
My first child is here because of that method (it was the best surprise of my life, probably because I always accepted it as a possibility). It’s very haphazard – think about that exact moment! Are you busy carefully controlling your reproductive organs? Not too much. I’d suggest that it takes a couple that really, um, works well together. But our situation happened after a year and a half…it only takes once.
Oh! And at the time we were still using the method same as always…so someone slipped by!