About Withdrawal

What Is Withdrawal?

Withdrawal, also called pulling out, is when a male removes his penis from the vagina before he ejaculates.

How Does Withdrawal Work?

Withdrawal is an attempt to keep sperm from entering the vagina by having the male ejaculate outside the vagina.

How Well Does Withdrawal Work?

Over the course of a year, about 27 out of 100 typical couples who rely on withdrawal to prevent pregnancy will have an accidental pregnancy. Of course, this is an average figure and the chance of getting pregnant depends on whether the couple uses this method correctly and every time they have sex.

Even for people who think they are doing it correctly, withdrawal is not an effective way to prevent pregnancy. Males leak a bit of sperm out of the penis even before ejaculation, which means that even if the male pulls out before he ejaculates, a girl can still become pregnant. Also, if the male ejaculates close to the outside of the vagina, the sperm can swim up into the vagina. However, withdrawal is considered a better method of contraception than none at all.

Protection Against STDs

Withdrawal does not protect against STDs. Couples having sex must always use condoms to protect against STDs even when using another method of birth control.

Abstinence (not having sex) is the only method that always prevents pregnancy and STDs.

More Information About Withdrawal

Withdrawal is not a reliable way to prevent pregnancy. And it can be difficult for males to know exactly when they should pull out or to have the willpower to do so. Even if they do, some sperm will leak out of the penis before ejaculation, which can then result in pregnancy.

Reviewed by: Larissa Hirsch, MD
Date reviewed: October 2009