Those of us who have attended any small portion of sex ed class know that coitus interruptus, aka pulling out or withdrawal, just isn't a good method of birth control. I mean, come on, pre-ejaculate contains tons of sperm. And what if you don't pull out in time? We've been brought up to think that pulling out is only barely better than just ejaculating inside the girl.
But is it really?
A
new report by Dr. Rachel Jones claims that, as a method of birth control, pulling out is only slightly less effective than the male condom. Based on data gathered by the Guttmacher Institute, only 4% of couples would become pregnant using the withdrawal method if used perfectly; they estimate that 18% would get pregnant if they take human error into account. The failure rate for condoms are about 2% if used perfectly, and more like 17% when used typically. That's not a whole lot of difference!
I'm not sure whether to believe this or not --after all, it does fly in the face of everything I've learned thus far. However, I'll admit that I'll be happy if it is true. It won't make me stop using my current method of condoms + withdrawal, but I think I'll rest easier knowing that the two combined reduce the risk of pregnancy even more than I originally thought.
Of course, I must point out that pulling out does NOT protect against STDs. This new finding, if it is true, is more relevant to couples in monogamous, long-term relationships. Condoms are still the best thing for casual sex!
Read the
ABC news story here, or
Dr. Jones's report here.
What is your method of birth control? Since condoms and "pulling out" have almost the same percentage of failure, would you still prefer pulling out over condoms?
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Comments (146)
i sometimes pull out even when using a condom. even when using a condom ive had way too many close calls with them breaking.
my boyfriend and i use condoms and he pulls out, but my ex boyfriend just pulled out. i'm underweight so that makes it even harder for me to get prego. plus we just didn't want to use them. but it is a good idea. my boyfriend now is smarter than my ex, so even if i don't care, he makes us do these things safely. :P
Okay, yes, this method works when done properly. "Properly" includes the penetrating partner urinating between ejaculations and pulling out well before the orgasm happens. I still don't trust it, but I relied on it for about four months once and I never got pregnant. Which I know isn't saying much because some couples trying never even get pregnant, so I may have just gotten lucky.
haha well i used the pull out method andddd yeah it was stupid i know but i was drunk and wasnt thinking. but i just went n got the morning after pill even though i was pretty sure he didnt bust in me and he was too....most guys know when to pull out.
but better safe then sorry...and with a baby. but now i have BC the IU that is actually placed inside the uterus. its awesome.
IT WORKS TILL YOU DONT PULL OUT FAST ENOUGH. oh wait ...
Well, the only problem is the amount of screwups that humans do. I mean, they can't take a birth control pill on time to avoid pregnancy, how are they going to time the pull out to the exact right moment?
I would make him wear a space man suit if it helped prevent getting knocked up. Kids scare the shit out of me.
i don't have sex, lol. :O
Wow...I suppose people still believe anything.
uhm, i was on the pill which then we still used a condom... but as time went on, sometimes we'd just do pull out... all in all... i was still on the pill...Â
@xdiexthinx@xanga - that's hilarious.
Hey, if you like it and you think it works, then I'm glad you want to procreate the planet with your ignorantly begotten children! yaaay
You said it yourself, pre-cum contains a lot of sperm. So... how useful is the pull-out method if you're already getting "contaminated?"
Oh. Not useful at all. That's right.
@C_UNIT42@xanga - lol, idk why but I couldn't stop laughing at your comment
Uh. I would think not.. also, you can't prevent against STDs.
@methodElevated@xanga - If you do it correctly, it does.
The only time I choose the pulling out method is in the middle of my menstrual, after 1-14 days after my period. Just to be safer and...safest. Otherwise, condoms all the way!
My first boyfriend ONLY pulled out and we were having sex for the better part of a year.
I've been with this boyfriend for 2 years now and used that method for a few months off an on, as irresponsible as it is, I haven't gotten pregnant yet. I'm not 100% comfortable with that "protection" though.
Luckily I have birth control for the next few months. :)
Bull.
Do you know why big trains never have little trains? no why... because they always pull out on time :)
Pill and condom. No babys, no stds. Problem solved.
my husband and i have been using the pull out method for over 2 yrs and have not had any incidents.
@mr_faust@xanga - YES.
pulling out, OBVIOUSLY NOT
I have two beautiful daughters using the pull out method...
what a stupid blog dont you have anything more intelligent to write about you freaking idiot? go read or greive michael jackson. I just wasted 2 min of my life on this