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?
just_the_average_jane@xanga
True
Comments (146)
Um, pulling out does not work. The only chance if you haven't gotten a kid of it, is because you were LUCKY, not because it worked.
I'd use just birth control in I was in a long term relationship.
xo
i say go for the pill+condoms.
cause i got pregnant using just condoms. we used them properly, so it's just fucked up that i got pregnant...but i'm having a little girl in two months. :)
@MangoWOW@xanga - Yeah. . . . Me too. Putting on con-damns is a mood killer.
@HowShouldOneDefineThemselves@xanga - lol. Not only is that minute long pause a mood killer but sex with a condom just feels different! People who say otherwise haven't tried it or are just fooling themselves!
Here's the thing a lot of people don't realize about the whole pulling out thing. The pregnancy tends not to be caused by the ejaculate, but rather by sperm carried into the vagina by pre-seminal fluid. However, pre-seminal fluid does not always have sperm in it. PS fluid is secreted by the prostate, as opposed to the testicles. The way sperm gets in the PS fluid is if there's already some in the urethra, which will be there if you've already previously ejaculated recently. So if you've already cummed once from, say, sex or masturbation, then the PS fluid can carry the sperm. Urination between the last ejaculation and the current time you're having sex can take care of this.
condoms make sex better for me.
wear a condom everytime.
All I have to say is my parent's used the pull out method for two years, then New Year's Eve of 1989 my father decided that the best way to make sure my mother never left him was to knock her up, so he just "forgot" to pull out. And here I am, YAY!!! I have 3 sets of parents and 9 brothers and sisters, a whopping number of TWO were planned... So the pull out method's only effective if your boyfriend isn't shit ass crazy like my Daddy Dearest.
@MangoWOW@xanga - Don't worry I am to cause I'm just lazy.
@my_greenthought@xanga - . . . Yay. . . . *nervous smile.
I'm all for not having sex if you don't want the consequeces.
Birth control and pulling out, sometimes we use condoms as well..
haha
I don't trust the pull out method for personal reasons. I don't like the pill, the patch, or the condom. I've had an IUD for about a month, and even though I get the odd cramping, it's already a hell of a lot better than the pill or the patch. And natural sex is always better.
lemme put it like this . i ain't having sex and won't be for a long a** time too = ]
we used the condoms for awhile, then the pull out then, now it's the nuva ring until we get married.. it's been working wonders soo far
STD's anyone? Cause that's what you'll get w/out a condom.
hhmm interesting
it's stupid to think that pulling out can prevent pregnancy i agree. But actually, i've havd sex with my bf a many times, he would pull out and luckily we never got pregnant. but i didn't like takin the risk so we used safer methods.
Those statistics make me laugh.
Better safe than sorry.
@Special_Brownies_4u@xanga - lol yeah unfortunately it is true... :/ i've tried gaining weight before but it never worked for me, so i gave up. :P not that i want to get pregnant or anything haha, i just wanted to be at a healthy weight for once.
Omg..I feel you on so many levels.. lol... I have been underweight my entire life.. in December I tried again to gain weight for the summer.. bought some powder that they use for cancer patients to gain weight...tastes like crap .. its still in my kitchen....I give up..