Is the Pull Out Method Effective?

How tight is your pull out game?

When I was younger, I always heard the same things about the pull out method.

It’s super ineffective — it shouldn’t even be considered birth control.

It doesn’t even work because precome is packed full of sperm.

It’s a stupid thing guys say they do as an excuse to not use a condom, and they will always end up coming inside you anyway.

Fast forward to 2019 and I make regular use of the pull-out method with my husband. And so are many other women.

I used to be on the pill, but I quit hormonal birth control because of the negative effects it had on me. I have chronic hormonal imbalances, so I don’t need to take anything that messes with my levels even more.

Now, I only use the pull out method and natural family planning. If my husband didn’t have phimosis and delayed ejaculation, I might use condoms around ovulation (if there’s one thing my four pregnancies taught me, it’s that I’m super fertile).

So, he might not fill me up with semen, but does regularly pump some precome inside me. And plenty of women seem to be using it as a long-term method of birth control with partners that don’t have any trouble ejaculating.

I am capital-D done having kids, so am I just being irresponsible?

What’s the Deal with Precome?

The pull out method is simple in theory. When you’re having vaginal sex, the partner with the dick pulls it out of their partner’s vagina before ejaculation and finishes up elsewhere.

Basically, you end your sex session the way a lot of porn ends, with the one pulling out coming on themselves or on their partner’s ass, thighs, stomach, tits, face, or mouth — anywhere but the vulva.

(Technically, no one has to get any come on themselves, but where’s the fun in that?)

But even though the semen is safely deposited elsewhere, you’re still getting precome inside you, and that precome can contain sperm.

Sounds like a knock-down argument against the pull out method, but it’s more complicated than it seems.

Studies on precome (well, they call it pre-ejaculatory fluid when they’re being clinical) discovered that some samples of the stuff contained semen. But no one is exactly sure how active those swimmers are or whether they can get you pregnant.

Precome containing sperm also isn’t necessarily a super big risk. According to an article in Scientific American, precome that does contain sperm probably contains less than one million of them per millimeter. That sounds like a lot, but semen with that little sperm would be considered infertile.

Plus, if precome could easily get you pregnant, the pull out method wouldn’t be as effective as it is.

How Effective Is Pulling Out?

How effective the pull out method is depends on how well you do it. But the short version of this is that pulling out is pretty fucking effective.

There are a few different stats that are thrown around, and the one you probably heard is 22% (or around there). That’s the failure rate of the pull out method, meaning that out of 100 women who regularly have sex and use the pull out method as their primary form of birth control, 22 of them will be pregnant within a year.

But there’s another number you might not have heard as often when the subject comes up: 4%. That’s the failure rate of the pull out method when it is used perfectly.

In other words, perfect use makes it 96% effective, compared to condoms which are 98% effective when used perfectly.

Condoms have a typical use failure rate, too, by the way. Even though I was told my entire life that condoms are 98% effective at preventing pregnancy, no one ever bothered to warn me that they’re only 85% effective with typical use.

So, when you compare perfect use to perfect use, and typical use to typical use, condoms and the pull out method are almost neck and neck in terms of effectiveness.

Using the Pull Out Method

So, the trick to the pull out method (and any non-surgical forms of birth control) is to use it well. You want that 96% effectiveness, even if you’re combining it with other methods.

The technique is simple enough, but there’s some timing and skill involved. So, here are some things you can do to make the pull out method more effective.

Only Use It with Someone You Trust

I’ve never relied on the pull out method with one-night stands or short-term relationships. For one thing, it doesn’t prevent STIs, so it was condoms all the way for me. But it also takes a while before you can be 100% sure you can trust someone with that responsibility.

Being able to pull out in time requires a combination of humility, self-awareness, and some dick skill. All three of these qualities are rare, so you can’t assume your new partner has them.

And it’s not just about time. Even in a long-term relationship, you need to know you’re with someone who can do it. If your boyfriend can never admit when he’s not good at something or routinely fucks things up because he’s overconfident, you might want to keep some condoms in the nightstand.

Even though condoms aren’t always effective, you can at least do your own quality control by putting it on your partner yourself, or making sure they’re putting it on right.

Kegels for Control

If you want to use the pull out method, encourage your partner to do kegel exercises. Working their pelvic floor will give them more control over their ejaculation. That can help them last longer, but it can also help them hold back from coming when they’re ready to finish.

Do a Test Run and Get Some Practice

No one knows how good they are at pulling out until they try. And no one gets good without practice.

You need a safe zone for practicing, when having an accident won’t be a pregnancy risk.

You can start by using a condom but still pulling out (either coming in the condom or whipping it off in time to come elsewhere). That way, if your partner comes inside you (and you’re using the condom properly), you still have that reassuring 98% protection.

You can also wait until you’re outside your fertile window. I track my cycle using an app, and sometimes I use ovulation tests (cheap ones I order by the dozens from Amazon) to confirm. Once you get a good sense of when you’re ovulating, you can try the pull out method without a condom when you’re not at risk of getting pregnant.

And of course, you don’t have to rush into pulling out. You can keep practicing until you’re very comfortable, there are no close calls, and you rack up a very good success rate.

Get in the Right Mindset

It also helps to shift your mindset so that it’s a more positive and exciting one.

Pulling out is birth control, but it can also be fun. Your partner doesn’t get to come in you, but he still gets to come after fucking you, and that’s great

And if you’re into being on the receiving end of a cumshot, you can frame it less as “you have to pull out” and more as “you can come on me.” My go-to spot is my ass, and Mr. Austin has never once complained about having to splatter it with his come.

Framing it that way makes pulling out something you can look forward to instead of just something you have to do.

Play It Safe

You’ll use whatever form of birth control is effective and works best for you. When you can, it’s a good idea to combine different methods to maximize effectiveness — condoms, natural family planning, spermicide, IUD, hormonal birth control, and so on.

You might decide that pulling out isn’t the right method for you, but don’t dismiss it out of hand. It’s had a bad reputation for a long time, but it really doesn’t deserve it. In the right circumstances and with the right partner, it can be an effective, affordable, and simple way to reduce the risk of pregnancy.