
Withdrawal
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- What is it?
- How does it work?
- How effective is it in preventing pregnancy?
- What are the advantages?
- What are the disadvantages?
What is it?
Withdrawal (also known as "pulling out") is the removal of the man's
penis from a woman's vagina before ejaculation.
How does it work?
Withdrawal can reduce the chance of conception by depositing the sperm
outside of the vagina. However, withdrawal is not a reliable or
effective method of birth control. Pre-ejaculate lubricating fluid,
which may contain sperm, can be left in the vagina and could therefore
cause a pregnancy.
How effective is it in preventing pregnancy?
If
- a man who has recently ejaculated urinates to get rid of any left over
sperm before penetration, and
- the tip of the penis is wiped dry of lubricating fluid before
penetration, and
- the penis is withdrawn before ejaculation, and
- ejaculation occurs outside the vagina and well away from the vaginal
opening
Then
withdrawal has an approximately 80-90% effectiveness rate.
But
control is difficult. With typical use of this method, there is a
19% failure rate.
What are the advantages?
- Better than using no method of birth control
What are the disadvantages?
- Not very effective because there can be sperm present in the
pre-ejaculate fluid
- Requires practice and self-control
- Both partners must be in agreement with using this method
- Does not protect against
sexually transmitted
infections