May 29 2009
when in doubt, pull out
Sex researcher Rachel Jones recently published a report finding that the ‘pulling out method’ is nearly as effective as using condoms in preventing pregnancy. Good news for all you guys and gals hoping to avoid having one in the oven, and bad news for all you pregos who said it wouldn’t work. Anyway, I’ll let the ABC News article tell you the rest:
The act of withdrawal — the male pulling out before ejaculation — is a long controversial method of birth control, one many sex education classes have condemned as risky.
But Jones’ findings, based on several studies and data from the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit organization focused on sexual and reproductive health where she is a senior research associate, were just the opposite.
Her studies found that in perfect use — meaning the man pulls out every time — withdrawal has a 4 percent failure rate, as compared to condoms, which have a 2 percent failure rate.
“But nobody’s perfect,” said Jones, who published her commentary in the June issue of Contraception magazine.
In typical use, when used consistently and correctly, coitus interruptus and condoms have an 18 and 17 percent failure rate, respectively.
