The “Pull and Pray” Method

[JackLuis]

The “Pull and Pray” Method Works About as Well as a Condom for Preventing Pregnancy

Indeed, according to Dr. John Guillebaud in his book Contraception: Your Questions Answered, some of the lowest birth rates in history pop up around cultures whose primary method of contraception is the pull and pray method.

86% isn't very good though.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

"According to research done in 2008 at the Guttmacher Institute in New York, the withdrawal method, when executed perfectly, is 96% effective for preventing pregnancy. For comparison, using a condom, when done perfectly, is 98% effective and oral contraception has a “perfect use” rate of 99.7% effective."

"When executed perfectly..." Sure. And how do they define "executed perfectly"? It mean that no pregnancy results. That's the whole problem with this method, isn't it? That it's rarely executed perfectly, especially under real-world conditions.

I suspect Dr. Guillebaud conducted his research in controlled-environment laboratories, using married or committed volunteer couples who were sober, accustomed to each other, and only moderately aroused; about as aroused as one can get in a laboratory setting, which is not very. They weren't drunk or high, or wildly desperate for each other the way a couple of freshmen might be after they've been making out for an hour or so on the sofa at some party and suddenly discover they have a quick 5 minutes alone.

Bonerparte's Retreat was the most popular form of birth control in the salad days of my sexual youth, and I know for a fact that the effectiveness rate was way, way lower than 98%. For a fact.

Maybe it's as effective as a condom "when executed perfectly", but in my experience, just getting that condom on reduces the chances of pregnancy versus the withdrawal method by like 75-80%.

 

[amicus]

JackLuis, Dr, Mab, permit me....

...to introduce the issue of, omg, ethics, morals, et cetera, and I am sure you would add, ad nauseum...but...\

Sex is no doubt better than chocolate for women and booze for men, but still, do we not control our intake of either, for whatever reason/s?

I have found artificial means of contraception repugnant, in all forms, be it a diaphram; picture the female, in the bathroom, inserting the plastic device in her vagina, geez, how sexy is that?

IUD's carry a risk, as do birth control chemicals, especially the newer ones, with death being an option from Yaz, & others...

In married sex, I guess applying a sheath, a condom, can be tolerated, but hell, what the fuck is 'natural' about that?

Yes, I know, before birth control methods, women were likely to conceive and bear a child every eighteen months and suffer an early demise, I know all about that...but there were still 'sheaths' made of animal intestines, as far back as history records, so not a modern phenomena.

Sexual intercourse, lasting how many minutes you think, is but a tiny, almost imperceptible percentage of the daily life of every human; unless you sell your twat or have unlimited access to females, and even that has a physical limitation, Viagra be damned....

Without being a clinician, a woman's fertile period is at most seven days out of a month, correct me if I err, but still, 'she' knows when she can conceive and her pheromones transmit that to the sniffing males in the vicinity.

As we are described as, 'man, the rational animal', can we not cerebrally control our sexual urges? At least to the extend of avoiding conception?

Yeah, I know, I contradict myself if you are aware of my IQ perceptions, more than half haven't a clue to any of this...they remain more animal than human.

'Smart' people seldom make babies, if so, rarely more than one, so it is to the lower half of the Bell Curve of Intelligence Quotient that you both direct your thoughts....in essence, aside from the 'horny dog' part of your personalities, or your fanciful imaginations.

There is a 'values' issue here, which neither of you, nor most on this forum, will appreciate, but I offer, that the act of sexual intercourse between a male and a female, ought to have more meaning than masturbation and a release of sexual tensions, which, believe it or not, can be controlled.

I would offer that we all have a choice; perhaps determined by our nurturing and social environment, to refrain from recreational sex, which, in essense, devalues the act. A teenager with several dozen sexual partners, when he or she finds love, might have become calloused to the import of the intimacy of the act and treat it like a popsickle when sucked upon leaves but a stained wooden stick.

We live in a new age and we are the ones who will determine the course of the future...that is my contribution and I have no regrets...can you say the same?

Amicus

 

[colddiesel]

JackLuis, Dr, Mab, permit me....

...to introduce the issue of, omg, ethics, morals, et cetera, and I am sure you would add, ad nauseum...but...\

Sex is no doubt better than chocolate for women and booze for men, but still, do we not control our intake of either, for whatever reason/s?

I have found artificial means of contraception repugnant, in all forms, be it a diaphram; picture the female, in the bathroom, inserting the plastic device in her vagina, geez, how sexy is that?

IUD's carry a risk, as do birth control chemicals, especially the newer ones, with death being an option from Yaz, & others...

In married sex, I guess applying a sheath, a condom, can be tolerated, but hell, what the fuck is 'natural' about that?

Yes, I know, before birth control methods, women were likely to conceive and bear a child every eighteen months and suffer an early demise, I know all about that...but there were still 'sheaths' made of animal intestines, as far back as history records, so not a modern phenomena.

Sexual intercourse, lasting how many minutes you think, is but a tiny, almost imperceptible percentage of the daily life of every human; unless you sell your twat or have unlimited access to females, and even that has a physical limitation, Viagra be damned....

Without being a clinician, a woman's fertile period is at most seven days out of a month, correct me if I err, but still, 'she' knows when she can conceive and her pheromones transmit that to the sniffing males in the vicinity.

As we are described as, 'man, the rational animal', can we not cerebrally control our sexual urges? At least to the extend of avoiding conception?

Yeah, I know, I contradict myself if you are aware of my IQ perceptions, more than half haven't a clue to any of this...they remain more animal than human.

'Smart' people seldom make babies, if so, rarely more than one, so it is to the lower half of the Bell Curve of Intelligence Quotient that you both direct your thoughts....in essence, aside from the 'horny dog' part of your personalities, or your fanciful imaginations.

There is a 'values' issue here, which neither of you, nor most on this forum, will appreciate, but I offer, that the act of sexual intercourse between a male and a female, ought to have more meaning than masturbation and a release of sexual tensions, which, believe it or not, can be controlled.

I would offer that we all have a choice; perhaps determined by our nurturing and social environment, to refrain from recreational sex, which, in essense, devalues the act. A teenager with several dozen sexual partners, when he or she finds love, might have become calloused to the import of the intimacy of the act and treat it like a popsickle when sucked upon leaves but a stained wooden stick.

We live in a new age and we are the ones who will determine the course of the future...that is my contribution and I have no regrets...can you say the same?

Amicus

I see Ami, you're trying to tell us you're a wanker.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Almost all of the brainiac females I've known forfeit children. I conclude that the attitude is pathological as it culls smarties from the gene pool.

 

[xssve]

Oral or anal, missionary, cowboy or reverse cowboy, every effective.

The reason coitus interruptus is less effective, is probably that if any sperm at all makes contact with vaginal lubrication, it's starts swimming, with but one destination, so the facial thing might actually have some utility; the digestive system, which begins with saliva, being a much more hostile environment to any foreign substance than any other orifice, and it's the furthest point away from the vagina, though I suppose a foot fetish would serve just as well.

Precum contains only trace amounts of sperm, whatever is left over from the last ejaculation, and after ejaculation, I believe it takes at least 24 hours for sperm density to recover, although I don't know if I'd count on it.

I only mention it because while the pill is very convenient, it does place the burden of possible health issues on the woman, so one should at least know what the other options are.

 

[xssve]

Almost all of the brainiac females I've known forfeit children. I conclude that the attitude is pathological as it culls smarties from the gene pool.

Maybe because assholes like you beat them up and stole their lunch money when they were kids, and they'd prefer to spare anyone else that.

 

[3113]

Pulling out may be 96% effective if done right, but condoms and contraceptives means that both parties aren't going to end up stressed and waiting for that period to come, or standing anxiously at a bathroom sink trying to read a pregnancy test after the guy says, "uh-oh...."

Effective isn't the same as stress free. I'd really rather not rely on the gent getting it right every time.

 

[xssve]

Well you did read the article about semen being an anti-depressant, didn't you?

Trade off's, it always about the trade off's.

 

[stephen55]

It's snowing...so I'll wait a bit before clearing my driveway...

"correct me if I err"

ami, permit me...

"IUD's carry a risk, as do birth control chemicals, especially the newer ones, with death being an option..."

There are few things that don't carry a risk. Drinking a glass of water can kill you, if the water contains any one of the nasties such as typhoid, certain strains of E. coli, and so on.

Birth control pills carry a tremendous risk. It's called "inability to conceive". While a very few women on the pill don't suffer this risk, almost all do. Despite this risk, birth control pills remain the most popular form of contraception.

Is death one of those risks? The chances of dying because of the birth control pill is so low that all the women on it are far happier with the first risk than the second. Those women who shouldn't be on the pill have some risk factor that makes the pill ill advised. Any doc who prescribes the pill knows of these problems and screens for them.

Without being a clinician, a woman's fertile period is at most seven days out of a month, correct me if I err, but still, 'she' knows when she can conceive and her pheromones transmit that to the sniffing males in the vicinity.

Without being a clinician...you should have stopped there.

Ovaries, particularly younger ovaries, do not run like clockwork. Menstrual cycles, at least those unaffected by contraceptive hormones, are not run by clockwork either. As for women knowing when they are fertile (ovulating)...perhaps yes and perhaps no. The inability to be certain makes choosing when to and when not to have sex, very risky. That is, if unwanted pregnancy is considered a risk. That consideration tends to be gender specific and you are the wrong gender to decide.

One thing that I found out long after medical school is that the viability of sperm is considerably longer than was once thought. Women who had unprotected intercourse up to five days before ovulation (with no additional intercourse after) can conceive. Sperm can be a tad more long lived than once thought.

Your trust in the ability of males to sniff out (ovulatory) pheromones is misplaced. (Human) tomcats on the prowl rely on other clues to judge whether a particular woman is sexually receptive. And for what it's worth, women tend to be much better at judging male receptiveness than the other way around. (Besides the obvious, think evolutionary biology.)

There is a 'values' issue here, which neither of you, nor most on this forum, will appreciate, but I offer, that the act of sexual intercourse between a male and a female, ought to have more meaning than masturbation and a release of sexual tensions, which, believe it or not, can be controlled.

Perhaps your values are not the same as the rest of humanity's values. At times, sex very well may be more meaningful than just a release of sexual tension. More power to it. But then, when sex is just a release of sexual tensions, as it is about (insert percentage of your choice here), effective contraception, not to mention, prevention of STD's, is hardly repugnant.

 

[xssve]

Ami is on a heavy "archetypal male" trip, so his values are necessarily self construed as the values of "all mankind", and he views any other values with extreme prejudice, presumably categorizing them as the values of something other than "mankind".

Unfortunately for him, he's just another alienated urbanite with the usual hangups, so few of his imperatives are the result of actual experience, it's mostly stuff he got from reading bad fiction.

 

[SweetMerry]

Can I chime in here as a woman for whom the pull out method didn't work? Unless you and/or your partner are 100% ready for a child, please use birth control, whether it be condom, pill, IUD, whatever. If you're in a partnership, the results from one single slip up could tear your relationship apart. If you're not in a partnership, then the results can tear you apart.

Now, I know my story isn't applicable to everyone. Sometimes pregnancy can bring people closer together. Or, a single person feels competent and ready to raise a child on their own. But, parenthood is a serious commitment, and one that I feel should only be taken on after careful thought.

 

[bronzeage]

I have been a participant in every kind of birth control available, except a vasectomy. I consider myself to to be a good test lab for efficacy. Every woman who had unprotected sex with me, over a two month time span, became pregnant.

This was very much on my mind, the last time I was a bachelor. Condoms were my friend. Condoms were the only birth control I could control. That's what it's really all about. Foresight and control.

 

[xssve]

Me. I opted for the gelding.

 

[TxRad]

Me. I opted for the gelding.

I've got two kids, Ooops and Quits. After Quits was born, I got fixed and so did she. Double insurance you might say.

We tried rigorously for six years to have Ooops. I never complained once.

Friends of ours got married. Were virgins for the most part as they left for their honeymoon. No kids were in their future plans. Even though she was on the pill, he still used a condom. You guessed it, she was pregnant by the time they got home.

Shit happens as they say.

Pull and Pray, not on your life. That's more like Pull and Pay.

 

[3113]

"IUD's carry a risk, as do birth control chemicals, especially the newer ones, with death being an option..."

There are few things that don't carry a risk. Drinking a glass of water can kill you, if the water contains any one of the nasties such as typhoid, certain strains of E. coli, and so on.

And childbirth! Let's not forget that one. Childbirth is hardly risk free and can be very hazardous to a woman's health.

Meanwhile, there's this very interesting report that appeared just this last year:

The contraceptive Pill can extend your life and may even save 1,500 lives a year, a study has suggested. Women who have taken the Pill at any stage in their life are less likely to die from any cause - including heart disease and all types of cancer - than those who have never taken the oral contraceptive....Study leader Professor Philip Hannaford....said: 'Our best estimate is that if you took a group of 100,000 women and they used the Pill for a year, on average you would have 52 fewer deaths in those women compared to those using other forms of contraception. 'The most important thing about this study is that it is not showing a long-term increased risk to women's health.'

Bold mine. From here.

Bet the "Pull-n'-Pray" method can't say that!

 

[bronzeage]

Bet the "Pull-n'-Pray" method can't say that!

There is really no such thing as a birth control method named "Pull-n-Pray."

It has it's place in porn videos, but as a way to prevent conception, it is so little and way too late to do anything about it.

It would better be labeled "Random chance" or "Dumb Luck".


When the statistics of condoms are collected, the researchers have to include all the folks who had a little poke before putting on the glove, or those who thought "just this once" wouldn't count.

It's like taking a survey on the reliability of a car and including people who forgot to put gas in the tank before it went empty.

 

[Handley_Page]

One of my Grandchildren should be called "Oh, all right then"

 

[xssve]

And childbirth! Let's not forget that one. Childbirth is hardly risk free and can be very hazardous to a woman's health.

Meanwhile, there's this very interesting report that appeared just this last year:


Bold mine. From here.

Bet the "Pull-n'-Pray" method can't say that!

Fascinating, hadn't seen that one.

 

[stephen55]

What to do about the "Urge to Merge"......

And childbirth! Let's not forget that one. Childbirth is hardly risk free and can be very hazardous to a woman's health.

Very, very true and a major cause of mortality and morbidity in places with inadequate medical care. The number of women who have come to grief because of proper birth control is minuscule compared to the the number who have succumbed to obstetrical complications. (That said, a minuscule portion of all the women on birth control does add up to a large number of women. Hence the ongoing research into better and safer contraception.)

Can one's sexual urges be self-controlled? In a word, yes. Personally, I prefer to have them temporarily satiated with the willing help of my willing partner.

(Full disclosure; Cpl. Lorraine "Handcuffs" Halliday is my friend...not my partner.)

 

[Miss_Pixie]

The "Pull & Pray" method is impractical. I think the current rate of teen pregnancy can attest to that...

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Ah the old spray and pray.