Pulling out is nearly as effective as using a condom
Sunday, October 18th, 2009
Hold the press! It turns out that the old yank-and-squirt, also known as pulling out or the withdrawal method of birth control, is nearly as effective as using a condom when it comes to preventing pregnancy. I discovered this a couple of nights ago reading the instructions in a box of Durex condoms that a male friend of mine had laying around his condo (somewhat to his embarassment).
typical use = method either was not always used correctly or was not used every time
lowest expected = method was used correctly everytime but failed anyways
PREGNANCY RATES FOR BIRTH CONTROL METHODS
(for one year of use)
| Method | Typical Use | Lowest Expected |
|---|---|---|
| hormones (pill) | 0.05%-5% | 0.05%-0.5% |
| male latex condoms | 14% | 3% |
| withdrawal | 19% | 4% |
| no contraception | 85% | 85% |
To the left is an excert from a table in the Durex instructions. This information is at least as old as 2005 because that was when my friend purchased the 12-pack. At the time, all I did was insult my friend's sexual prowess because he still had half the box left after four years (although he had been in a long-term, monogamous relationship for much of that time), but I got to thinking about this information again today.
I searched the internet for "withdrawal method" and found news from the first half of 2009 about a controversial study titled "The importance of withdrawal" by a woman named Rachel K. Jones. ABC News declared 'Pull Out' Method Gets New Respect on May 28th, 2009. Plenty of blogs chimed in on the story as if the news is a revelation.
However, as I already wrote, Durex, the self-proclaimed, "World's number one condom brand," quiety disseminated this news years ago. Interestingly, you can find the information contained on the instructions on Durex's website too, with the notable exception of withdrawal. I guess somebody in marketing pointed out that they might be hurting their sales with such information.