INTERRUPTING THE FUN
The Withdrawal Method doesn’t really have a science bit to share with you, in fact, it’s probably been around since before we had a word for science. Withdrawal is also called coitus interruptus or the "pull out method" and it requires great self-control, experience, and trust, and as such, it is pretty unreliable. It works, some of the time, by the man taking his penis out of the vagina before he ejaculates, limiting the chances of any sperm reaching the egg. However, not all sperm are released at climax, some are a little more eager than that, so even though you don’t finish off, you could still end up pregnant.
HOW TO
The Withdrawal Method really isn’t rocket science, the man withdraws from inside you before climax to minimize the risk of sperm entering the vagina and therefore reaching the egg. The key word is minimize, sperm still escape, and escaped sperm can still fertilize eggs. Men who use the withdrawal method must be able to know when they are reaching the point in sexual excitement when ejaculation can no longer be stopped or postponed. If you cannot predict this moment accurately, withdrawal will not be as effective. Even if a man pulls out in time, pregnancy can still happen. Some experts believe that pre-ejaculate, or pre-cum, can pick up enough sperm left in the urethra from a previous ejaculation to cause pregnancy.
This is not a method that would be recommended by healthcare providers, or by the millions of people who tried it, put an early stop to the fun, and got unplanned pregnant anyway.
PROS / CONS
- It isn’t affected by other medications
- It can be used when breastfeeding
- Hormone free
- It’s extremely unreliable
- It interrupts sex
- Does not protect against HIV infection (AIDS) and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
5 SECRETS ABOUT THE WITHDRAWAL METHOD
Did you know the withdrawal method is not safe? Ding why in our video ...
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Withdrawal is also called coitus interruptus or the "pull out method" and it requires great self-control, experience, and trust, and as such, it is pretty unreliable. It works, some of the time, by taking the penis out of the vagina before you ejaculate, limiting the chances of any sperm reaching the egg. With each ejaculation you are releasing up to 400 Million sperms. However, not all sperm are released at climax, some are a little more eager than that and can survive inside a woman`s uterus for up to five days, so even though you don’t finish off, you could still finish up making her pregnant.
No not all, however it is far better to bathe and make sure that anything with ejaculate on it does not get near the vagina within one to six hours, their known lifespan outside the body.
Since a woman is most fertile in the few days prior to or after ovulation, it is never suggested that she have sexual intercourse during that time if she does not wish to get pregnant. Even the most foolproof methods of contraception do have a miniscule failure rate and as the withdrawal method is only 78% successful, it would be best to avoid having sexual relations during this time.
Withdrawal is less effective than most other contraceptive methods. As commonly used, it is only 78 percent effective, meaning that 22 of every 100 women whose partners use withdrawal will become pregnant over a year.
Withdrawal requires men to have good self-control. A man must be able and willing to withdraw the penis and ejaculate outside the woman’s body. If he does not withdraw before ejaculating, his partner may become pregnant. Also, a small amount of semen may be released into the vagina before the full ejaculation, possibly without the man realizing it. Even this small amount of semen may contain enough sperm to possibly cause a pregnancy and to transmit STIs/HIV.
Even if you trust your partner to perform the pull out method correctly, any time that sperm are allowed to enter the vagina there is a chance that a pregnancy could result. Sperm can be viable for a short period of 6 hours outside the male body, for example on hands. Once the sperm have been transferred into the woman, through foreplay or other means, it is possible for them to reach the uterus if they are aided by the female’s bodily fluids. It can also happen more easily if sperm left in the urethra from a previous ejaculation are expelled into the female with pre-ejaculate fluids.
