No matter how many abstinence-only classes they sit through, it's a known fact that young people are going to have sex. What we don't always know is how they're going to have it. But teen pregnancy has hit an all time low and the vast majority of teens report they use protection when they do have sex, so it seems like — despite dismal levels of sex education across the country — teens are having fairly responsible sex. But there's one major downfall: the pull out method.
According to a Centers for Disease Control report, most teens who use contraceptives while having sex report using condoms. But the second most popular method of birth control among young people, the report found, is the pull out method. While the pull out method can be effective when done correctly, it's hard to do it right each time and it does not protect against STIs.
The CDC report found that from 2011 to 2015, 60% of "sexually experienced females" ages 15 to 19 who had every used birth control reported using the pullout method when having sex. According to the report, 97% reported using condoms, while 56% reported using birth control pills. Overall, 90% of females and 95% of males ages 15 to 19 who have sex reported using contraceptives during their most recent sexual encounter.
According to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, the pull out method, also called withdrawal, is not a real birth control method. It happens when a person removes the penis from the vagina during intercourse before ejaculation in hopes that the sperm cannot enter the vagina. The problem with this method, along with the fact that it doesn't prevent STIs, is that it can be hard to time the withdrawal correctly and it doesn't account for pre-ejaculate, which can cause pregnancy. According to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, the pull out method leads to pregnancy 25% of the time with typical use, and 4% of the time with perfect use. And again — this says nothing about STIs, which we know are very common and increasingly less treatable.
And while condoms are also only effective when used correctly, and not everyone uses them correctly, they do protect against STIs, meaning you're putting yourself at much less of a risk in that department. If you know how to use a condom correctly, they are 98% effective. Since schools don't always teach students how to use condoms, here's a lesson on how best to protect yourself using condoms.
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So the bottom line here is that the pull out method is not even close to being an effective form of birth control. In other words, it's pretty risky, especially when you take your sexual health into account.
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