For young women, the prospect of an uninvited tiny human taking up residence in our womb and sapping up our nutrients is a scary one. But if we ever hope to feel a fella’s touch, mitigating that risk is a necessary evil. Fortunately, there’s a wealth of anti-offspring options at our fingertips from IUDs to birth control pills to good ol’ fashioned condoms.
Yet even given the abundance of available contraceptives, a startling proportion of young ladies have given up on conventional birth control and placed their confidence in the pull-out method .
According to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics , after condoms, the pullout method is the second most popular form of birth control among today’s youngsters. Indeed, “pull and pray” has become even more popular than the pill, earning millennials the label of “The Pull-out Generation.”
Withdrawal makes sense in theory, after all — keep the coochie clear of his swimmers, keep the uteri clear of his children. But the theory doesn’t always translate into practice. In fact, statistics published by Planned Parenthood determine that every year, 27 of 100 women who use the pull-out method get knocked up.
Of course, coitus interruptus isn’t always plan A. It might often be practiced as last resort, among couples who are too intoxicated, too timid, or too in the moment to demand their partner take more protective measures. On the other hand, many women deliberately place their faith in withdrawal. Nearly one in three women between 15 and 24 has used the pullout method as their primary form of birth control, reports research conducted by Duke University .
The women making this choice frequently do so to escape the side effects of synthetic hormones, which can include headaches, weight gain and mood changes. They’re opposed to shoving a plastic IUD up the deep-end of their pussy. Also, because they’re rightfully entitled to sexual pleasure, the desensitizing feeling of condoms is an unacceptable sacrifice.
But in resorting to the pull-out approach, they’re making another monumental sacrifice — control. Withdrawal means relinquishing power to the male partner to prevent pregnancy by pulling out in time. It also offers zero protections against sexually transmitted diseases. For this reason, the pull-out method is more popular among women in committed relationships than those liberated ladies enjoying one-night stands.
As Planned Parenthood has admitted, pulling out may be more hazardous than most other methods of contraception, but it’s better than nothing at all. Modern women are free to experiment with which birth control best suits their bodies, and if that means foregoing hormones, plastic and latex in favor of sexual gratification and greater baby liability, so be it. Pull and pray. Pray hard.
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