Withdrawal
You might have heard that withdrawal is an effective form of birth control. Generally speaking, it’s not. Although a woman cannot get pregnant unless there is semen in her vagina, withdrawal often does not prevent the release of semen.
Withdrawal is when a man pulls his penis out of the vagina before he ejaculates. It is sometimes also called coitus interruptus.
Even if a man withdraws before ejaculation, a woman can get pregnant from pre-ejaculate (pre-cum) which enters her vagina during the intercourse. A woman can also get pregnant if any semen comes in contact with her vulva (the exterior area of the vagina).
One disadvantage of withdrawal is that it does not offer the woman assurance that she will not get pregnant. She leaves the responsibility with the man.
Withdrawal should not be used by people who are sexually inexperienced, because they will not know when to pull out. It should not be used by teens. It should not be used by anyone with a history of premature ejaculation. It should not be used by anyone without completely iron willpower.
This method takes a great amount of willpower for the man, and trust for the woman. It can be used in conjunction with other methods (such as prescription barrier-based methods, or hormonal methods) to help increase their efficiency, but as a stand alone method of birth control, it is very ineffective. As many as 1 in 4 women can get pregnant from the withdrawal method.
