According to statistics, the observation of all the rules of withdrawal method (rejected sexual intercourse – RSI) – 4 out of 100 women become pregnant during one year of such an intimate life. With a typical usage of pulling out, when there are misses (most of these cases), according to various sources, conception occurs in 18-27% of couples. The chance of conception dramatically increases when one of these occurs: an unsuccessful moment of withdrawal, several RSI in a row, alcohol and drugs that slow down a man’s reaction.
Safe days for the pull-out method
To get pregnant, it is not necessary to make love on the day of ovulation (egg release).
Sperm live up to three days (rare specimens up to five-seven). After intimacy, they are quite capable of «waiting» for a favorable moment inside the fallopian tubes.
If you practice RSI (the Latin term – coitus interruptus) on the day of ovulation or three-four days before it, you must remember that 27% of couples became pregnant in the first year of such intimacy. Of course, it is typical behavior, when misfires were not ruled out during intimacy (got inside or didn’t get inside, managed to pull out or didn’t, etc.).
Remember that any unprotected contact during the fertile period has a 20-25% chance of ending in pregnancy every month.
«Dangerous days» for a woman when she is theoretically able to get pregnant are four to five days before ovulation, on the day of ovulation and the day after it (while the egg lives).
If the pull-out occurs outside this period (safe days), the possibility of conception is almost 100% excluded (there is still a tiny probability of multiple ovulation).
There is a very detailed article on the most reliable and simple methods for calculating your ovulation day.
Is it possible to get pregnant if the guy did not ejaculate inside you and the sperm did not make contact with your body?
Definitely, pregnancy is possible! With regular practice of rejected sexual intercourse during the «dangerous days» (even without violations and mistakes!) – there is still a 4% chance of conception.
This is interesting(!): With the perfect use of condoms as a method of contraception (nothing slips off, does not break, does not spread) – an unplanned conception still occurs in 3% of couples.
As you can see, the difference in the effectiveness of these two methods is nonsignificant. However, in the case of pulling out, the risks are much higher. Among them:
- Passing of sexually transmitted diseases (chlamidiosis, trichomoniasis, syphilis, and others!). And by the way, oral and rectal intercourses without a condom have the same risks.
- Reevaluation by a guy of his abilities when he simply does not have time to withdraw of the penis before ejaculation and the result is conception.
- The partner’s incorrect determination of the moment of approaching ejaculation, as a result, an unwanted pregnancy.
- During RSI, a man should never completely relax, as it is very easy to misfire.
- With intimacy several times in a row, the probability of the «slipping» of active sperm increases significantly.
It is important(!): During intimacy in a state of sexual arousal, the male genital organ secretes a special fluid – pre-ejaculate. It may contain a certain amount of sperm (not all men) that can fertilize an egg. The pre-seed sperm count increases with repeated SI.
The most reliable way to prevent unwanted pregnancy is a combination of several methods, for example, the pull-out method and condoms, withdrawal and the calendar method (for women with a regular cycle).
Having withdrawal twice in a row
The probability of conception after a second intimacy in a row is much higher. One-third of women get pregnant during the year of practicing RSI and repeated copulation.
This is explained as follows: after the first intimacy, the sperm was left on the head, foreskin, in the urethra and in ejaculatory duct.
After urination and washing, most sperm are washed off, but some of them can stay in the duct. From there, they enter the pre-ejaculate (during the next RSI), and then into the woman’s vagina.
Unlike sperm, pre-ejaculate is colorless or transparent, more watery and not so viscous without specific smell.
This is interesting(!): A man cannot control the pre-seed output. Some have almost none, while others have up to 5 ml. Its main function is to provide an alkaline environment in the urethra and vagina, which is more friendly for the survival of sperm. If you are not planning a pregnancy, always use condoms with repeated intimacy.
How to reduce the probability of pregnancy during rejected sexual intercourse
These are the main rules when using RSI. Ignoring them highly increases the probability of an unwanted conception:
- It is important that sperm does not enter only the vagina but also the external genitalia of a woman. There is an expression: «A good sperm can crawl from the knee!» – This, of course, is humor, but there’s a grain of truth in every joke.
- Before repeated intercourse, a man must urinate, wash his hands, penis, and foreskin from the traces of sperm.
- Do not take alcohol or drugs – they slow down the reaction and partner may not have time to react.
- If you have any doubts, you should use emergency contraception, the sooner the better.
What should be a matter of concern after withdrawal method?
Any suspicion that sperm has entered the vagina or the external genital organs of a woman requires attention and the use of emergency contraception.
Please note that «transferring» sperm to a partner is possible not only through the male intimate organ but also through the hands and other objects used during RSI.
Advice(!): Men usually notice their mistakes during RSI. It is very important to preliminarily discuss with your partner the need to report misfires frankly. If this happened on fertile days (5 days before, on ovulation or the day after it) – it is advisable to use emergency contraception. The less time passes from the moment of intimacy, the higher the chance to prevent unwanted pregnancy.
Is the pull-out method suitable for you?
It all depends on whether the partner will have time to withdraw the penis on time before ejaculation begins. It depends on the following factors:
- the age of the man (the older the more difficult);
- experience (a beginner makes mistakes much more often);
- degree of fatigue;
- the length of the period of preliminary abstinence (the longer the break, the more difficult it is for the partner to control himself);
- taking drugs that slow down the reaction rate (alcohol, drugs, sedatives, etc.). Consider these factors, they increase the probability of misfire.
Before each intimacy, evaluate these risks with your partner. It is better to spend money on condoms or spermicidal tablets than to worry and be nervous about a miss, or even worse, an unwanted pregnancy.
If a man is serious, for him it will be the same important issue as it is for you.
What emergency contraceptives does WHO recommend?
According to the recommendations of the World Health Organization, within 5 days after unprotected contact, you can use the methods of emergency contraception:
- In tablets, on the basis of ulipristal acetate (Ella, EllaOne, and Dvella), levonorgestrel (Postinor, Escapel), mifepristone (Ginepriston) or combined oral contraceptives COC (NON-Ovlon, Rigevidon, and others);
- Copper-containing intrauterine device (only for women giving birth).
Among birth control pills, only mifepristone medications harm an already developing pregnancy and are also used to interrupt in the early stages.
Other drugs interfere with ovulation itself and work ONLY until fertilization. They have no effect on the fetus and do NOT cause any pathologies in the unborn child.
This is interesting(!): Means of emergency contraception work in 95% of cases after coition. The effectiveness of the pills is reduced by several factors: a lot of time has passed after sexual intercourse, the density of a woman (BMI from 30), subsequent unprotected contacts, as well as some medications that suppress the action of EC.
Even if, the emergency contraception method does not work for you, the medications you take (СOC, ulipristal acetate or levonorgestrel) will not cause any malformations.
According to doctors, effective contraception is the absence of any intimacy, even rejected sexual intercourse, in the fertile period. If this does not suit you, then there is another option – the use of additional barrier methods (for example, condoms or spermicides).