Many couples rely on the good, old-fashioned pull-out, or withdrawal, method for contraception. It's common practice for people whose religions eschew birth control or those who also rely on the rhythm method. The withdrawal method entails the man pulling his penis out of the vagina before ejaculating. Ideally, it keeps sperm from entering the vagina and fertilizing the egg. However, it's certainly not a failsafe method. When done exactly right every single time, the pull-out method is “almost as effective as the male condom — at least when it comes to pregnancy prevention,” Contraception magazine reported in June 2009. There are a lot of caveats involved with that claim, however. If practiced perfectly 100 percent of the time, then withdrawal fails up to 4 percent of the time.
The rate for optimal use of condoms is 2 percent, authors report. However, for most couples, the "typical" rates of failure apply - 18 percent for withdrawal and 17 percent for condoms. And that figure can increase, depending on the couple and the man's level of control over ejaculating. Even when he pulls out completely, it's possible that the seminal fluid that enters the vagina beforehand can impregnate the woman. And even when done correctly, the method does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases. The new data about its effectiveness worries some experts, due to the fact that teens who would be embarrassed to buy contraceptives would use it to prevent pregnancy. For monogamous couples trying to prevent pregnancy, withdrawal seems to be a viable option to consider along with other, more effective methods, such as oral contraceptives and IUDs.