Im sure we have all been taught that the “Pull Out Method” may be one of the least working forms of birth prevention, but according to the New York Magazine, this generation has been dubbed the “Pull Out ” Generation! In light of this, HuffPost asked 8 women to share their stories and explanations on whether they prefer to be on the risky side of things or not, when it comes to sexual healing, hit the jump for more!
The New York Magazine reported that there has been a decrease in women taking birth control and an increase in women relying on the “pull out method” through out the years. The reason women are rebelling against taking the contraception? Well they are just about tired of dealing with the side effects that comes with the hormonal pills!
NYM reports: “Yeah, they know it’s got failure rates to rival condom use at its sloppiest. But these are women who are sick of taking hormones, are in a long-term relationship with a man they trust, and rely on a period-tracker app so they know to use a condom when they’re ovulating. The risk is one they all seem pretty comfortable with”
“According to some research, this isn’t as crazy as it sounds. A 2009 study found that, when you compare typical condom use to typical use of the pullout method (rather than the ideal usage of each), the withdrawal method is only slightly more likely than condoms to result in pregnancy. A recent survey conducted by the delightfully named Dr. Annie Dude, a researcher at Duke University, found that almost a third of women between the ages of 15 and 24 have relied on coitus interruptus as a birth-control method”
Here are the testimonials of a couple of women who express to HuffPost exactly why they are relying on the method:
“For years I used the rhythm and pull out method. I didn’t want to be on birth control and my husband didn’t want to wear a condom. It worked most if the time. Only once out of countless times did I get pregnant.”
— Age 45, Springfield, MO
“When it comes to satisfaction in our sex life, I couldn’t be happier. I love that my body is allowed to do what it does naturally, and that I don’t have to suffer through uncomfortable side effects. And since marriage is on the horizon for us, and we both agree that we want children, when we decide to be risky and use the pullout method in or near my fertile window, there’s far less stress. This may also be because he’s had the practice of being able to time his actions, but I do think a lot of it has to do with knowing exactly how “risky” we’re being (5 days before ovulation? We’ll be okay. Day of ovulation? Maybe we should use a condom). I don’t know to what extent other women use the pullout method in conjunction with condoms as opposed to using solely the pullout method (with or without cycle tracking), but I actually feel a stronger bond with my partner because that trust has to be there. I have to trust him to pull out in time (or stop midway through to put on a condom), and he has to trust me to be honest about where I am in my cycle. It’s a two-way street, and the fact that we have that trust I think shows the strength of our relationship (because the communication HAS to be there, and is present in other aspects of our relationship).”
— Age 26, Manassas, VA
“I was a teenager when I used the pull-out method as a form of contraception, more than once or twice, with the father of my birth son, who is now 25 years old. On the topic of the pull-out method, it doesn’t work! My boyfriend at the time didn’t wear condoms and I wasn’t on any form of birth control. Bad combo for not getting pregnant. Risky.”
— Age 45, Fayetteville, AR
“I’ve definitely relied on the pull out method! Just ask my two year old son!”
— Age unknown, Queens, NY
“I’m SO glad someone is talking about this! I relied on the withdrawal “method” of birth control at the young age of 17, not having been put on birth control for lack of having a gynecologist. I made an initial appointment when I turned 18 but every time the appointment date came around I had my period so would have to reschedule. Not being on birth control it was hard to predict when I would and wouldn’t have it. Anyway, after two years of using this method, I got pregnant. I knew back then how naive I was to think it wouldn’t happen. And after having gone through that experience, not only have I never gone off the pill, but it also infuriates me how dumb some of my friends are that haven’t learned from what happened to me. It’s pure and utter foolishness. It shouldn’t even be called a birth control method because it’s not. At all.”
— Age 35, Boston
“My husband and I have been married for almost 12 years. We have a six-year-old. After relying on the pill for years starting in college up to my early 30’s, I went off the Pill to have my child. After the birth of my child, I didn’t feel like getting back on the pill primarily because I was already so overwhelmed with being a parent that I worried about remembering to take the pill on time every day and also, I didn’t want to gain the weight that I gained when I first went on the pill. Considering as new parents that sex wasn’t happening very often, I didn’t really worry about it and we relied solely on the pullout method. It worked successfully! That is, until I found out I was pregnant last June. Now, almost 40, this was a HUGE surprise for us but considering we were using the very unreliable pullout method, it shouldn’t have been such a shock! Of course, being married and having two incomes, helped us calm down and quickly realize what a gift this surprise really is.”
— Age 39, Los Angeles, CA
Now what are your thoughts on the increase of use in the “contraceptive” method???
