Hooray For Pull And Pray?
"Typical" condom use as effective against pregnancy as the withdrawal method.
The very astute crew over at The Frisky (I only get 40% of my news from them) have some wonderful news for us: according to science, pulling out is almost as effective as condoms. If you listen closely you can hear celebratory trumpets: bah-bih-tih-baht-bah-baaaaah!
While the effectiveness I refer to is exclusively applicable to birth control, the findings are a little shocking. Per these scientists, "typical use" of condoms results in pregnancy slightly less frequently than "typical use" of pull and pray (also called the withdrawal method). "Typical use" for both coitus interruptus and raincoat-wearing includes some degree of incorrect or neglectful use; i.e. condom coming off, guy finishing earlier than expected, etc. Read: My Year of Condomless Sex
One hiccup in the giddy-up of pull and pray is that pesky rascal pre-seminal fluid. Surprisingly, there is some amount of conjecture about whether or not pre-ejaculate ("always throw away bad ejaculate"*) can cause pregnancy. A middle ground agrees that pre-seminal fluid after sex but before urinating may contain some active and wily sperm. Not all dudes produce pre-ejaculate, so be careful when going raw dog… nobody wants a pre-come baby.
Why all of this hubbub about riding bareback? It feels better, silly. Em & Lo ask their man panel about the subject and the phrase "going to the beach in a space suit" may have been used (not necessarily in a positive way). Check out their comment board when you get a sec. Previous generations probably rushed into marriage so they could have sex, you have to wonder if current couples rush things a little bit to have unprotected sex? Read: Is Condomless Sex The New Engagement Ring?
While a guy's swim team can only keep swimming for 72 hours (and beyond if the pH balance is in their favor) and a woman is fertile only a few days per month, it only takes one intrepid submarine to sink the Lusitania. Using multiple birth control methods is a good idea, even if one of them is Plan B because sometimes Plan C rhymes with smushsmortion clinic or shmotgun shmedding... think of all the money you're saving by foregoing jammy-jams.
The frequency of accidental pregnancy really has to bug couples battling infertility. For some reason youth, alcohol and the utter lack of desire to have children anytime soon must activate a GPS beacon to the ovum for sperm. Read: 9 Ways In Which Communism & Condoms Are Alike
And for Simple Simon's sake, if you have no knowledge of a person's sexual history, use every barrier method available (be careful with wetsuits). No amount of pulling (or praying or progesterone or rhythm or spermicidal lubricant) will keep the Herp from latching onto your junk (or mouth).
Discussion
We don't like trying to time things when we're having a good time. A vasectomy and Depo-Provera give us the confidence we need to stay child free, and testing assures us that we're clean. If you really don't want to get pregnant, you'll take more precaution than pulling out and praying that that you weren't too late.
But from a girl's perspective - you can check whether or not there's a condom down there. You can even make sure it's a new one and that he put it on properly. So you can increase the chance that the condom is being used properly.
There's pretty much nothing the woman can do to make sure coitus interruptus is really going to happen. Well, you could try talking about rotting corpses at inopportune moments. Might get your guy upset, though.
Seriously, if you're in a long-term monogamous relationship and you don't want to use condoms, there are better forms of birth control than hoping a guy can control himself during sex.
