Got protection? Study finds pulling out effective
By Marissa Cumbers (Last updated: 06/07/09 11:37pm)The pushy guy you hooked up with after $2-pitcher night might have had real evidence when he slurred, “It’s OK, baby, I’ll just pull out.”
The pull-out method, often considered for those “better-than-nothing” situations, competes with condoms in effectiveness, according to a study published in the June issue of Contraception magazine. The study found that pulling out, also known as the withdrawal method, has a 4 percent error rate of pregnancy during the course of a year in perfect use, while condoms have a 2 percent error rate in perfect use.
According to the study, perfect use does not take into account user error, and typical use provides a more realistic estimation of effectiveness. In typical use, the withdrawal method has an 18 percent error rate of pregnancy and condoms have a 17 percent error rate.
Kelly Blanchard, president of Ibis Reproductive Health, which conducts research women’s health, was one of the study’s researchers and said the study stemmed from other research suggesting withdrawal might be a more frequently used type of contraception than previously believed.
“There are often a lot of myths out there about a lot of different contraception methods,” Blanchard said. “This proves in circumstances where you may not have access to another method, then withdrawal is certainly something to consider and definitely better than nothing.”
In a 2008 survey of more than 1,600 MSU students by the National College Health Assessment, 5.2 percent said they used the withdrawal method the last time they had vaginal intercourse and 21 percent said they used this method at least once. Darnell Yelder, a criminal justice junior, admitted to having tried the method but emphasized it should be used by people in committed relationships.
“The pull-out method is wonderful,” Yelder said. “It works all the time if you are in a relationship and dating that person exclusively.”
Although the study said pulling out rivals the effectiveness of condoms, Dennis Martell, coordinator of Olin Health Center education, said holding fire isn’t something men should practice just yet. Martell said timing of a man’s ejaculation is unpredictable and attempting to control ejaculation is unnatural.
“The withdrawal method has all kinds of problems, including that most men don’t know when they reach ejaculative inevitability,” Martell said. “It is not the natural inclination for men to stop and withdraw during consensual vaginal intercourse.”
With the withdrawal method, user error is much more likely, Martell said.
“(Withdrawal) is on the top of our list for user malfunctions,” he said. “Withdrawal method can work if everything goes perfectly right, and there is no pre-ejaculant.”
In addition to the risk of user malfunctions, pulling out offers no protection against sexually transmitted infections. Lansing Community College student Will Dunlap said transmission of diseases is a concern when considering this method.
“You should be using protection anyway,” Dunlap said. “Basically, it should be like an at-risk exercise.”
Jessica Johnson, a medical graduate student and former vice president of MSU’s Medical Students for Choice, said a study such as this could potentially misinform people about viable contraception.
“I think it’s a little worrisome that that sort of study would be out there,” Johnson said. “When you consider contraception, you consider the risk of STIs and birth control. There is no way the withdrawal method would be more safe in terms of preventing STIs and even for reducing pregnancy.”
The study does address STIs, suggesting further research should be done to determine if consistent use of withdrawal reduces transmission. The study concludes by suggesting withdrawal might not be as effective as other methods, but it is better than nothing and should be addressed as a legitimate contraceptive.
“What we are saying is that when you provide information about contraceptives … it should be covered so that people understand how effective (withdrawal) is compared to other methods,” Blanchard said. “We want people to understand if you are going to use it, how to use it correctly. We are not suggesting that it be promoted over other methods, but I think what we are suggesting is that … there needs to be room to talk about the use of withdrawal.”
Originally Published: 06/07/09 11:30pm
Seriously?
06/08/09 12:16amPlease tell me this isn’t on the front page. I think we have a new winner for the term “Slow News Day.”
Macklin
06/08/09 12:59amContraception magazine: It arrives at your door with the pages already stuck together.
Ginny
06/08/09 2:31amlol Macklin!
Rob
06/08/09 8:46amSlow news day? That’s the understatment of the year. This is the best we could come up with for the front page of the newspaper? Pathetic.
Dantern
06/08/09 8:54amDoes this girl even work for The State News?
Pathetic
06/08/09 8:56amWhy is this on the front page? This is probably the fifth news story of the summer that probably shouldn’t have even been published but somehow made it to the front page.
Rachel
06/08/09 9:17amFrom the people I know who use this particular “method,” it is usually used in a situation when they are drunk, stoned, or both. With this in mind, I find it hard to believe that it would be used “perfectly” in most situations.
And the fact that this made the front cover is just sad.
Me. myself and I
06/08/09 9:22amTrue it isn’t full proof, but it does seem to work. And if you don’t like condoms and how they feel or birthcontrol becasue it doesn’t feel natural,this can work pretty well. However I wouldn’t take the chance unless I was in a committed relationship. Boy some people type and read fast unlike me. I Oops when I type fast….
Oh Boy Joy
06/08/09 9:26am“The pushy guy you hooked up with after $2-pitcher night might have had real evidence when he slurred, “It’s OK, baby, I’ll just pull out.”
What pitcher ever costs $2.00, and ladies a pushy guy isn’t worth a $2.00 pitcher of beer, especially some guy you hooked up with.
Ladies make the guy that you want to be with, be a guy who has to work for your affection, don’t sell yourself short. You will wake up feeling much better about yourself.
Wow
06/08/09 9:30amYou are kidding me there is a magazine out there called “Contraception magazine.” Sounds like some people have nothing better to read.
of course
06/08/09 9:45amhey, upper management of the paper, this is pretty trashy. i am a liberal college kid and still find this a dumb idea for a centerpiece. you aren’t cosmo.
I would not have known
06/08/09 10:04amAccording to the study, perfect use does not take into account user error, and typical use provides a more realistic estimation of effectiveness. In typical use, the withdrawal method has an 18 percent error rate of pregnancy and condoms have a 17 percent error rate.”
I am suprised to see how close the percentages are, very interesting….
So what is this article advocating
06/08/09 10:24amIs it advocating pulling out as a method of birth control? Because they are showing us that it is a second runner up to the condom, as far as birth control, that is with all the percentages and all. But that it should be avoided to keep from getting STI’s. The only concern this article seems to show about the method is whether the guy will pull out on time or not as stated here“(Withdrawal) is on the top of our list for user malfunctions,” he said. “Withdrawal method can work if everything goes perfectly right, and there is no pre-ejaculant.”
msu grad student
06/08/09 10:30amI have always thought that MSU encouraged students to become raging alcoholics for a number of reasons, one of them being the bar ads published on the back pages of the student run newspaper. Now, I see the front page tells students to forget about condoms. what next? Russian Roulette as a new varsity sport?
Great Point^
06/08/09 10:35amLeave the Pulling out method of birth control, to married couples who don’t have to worry about unwanted pregnancy, because that won’t be an issue. Single college students need to think about safety first, to avoid unwanted pregnancy and STI’s. Better Safe than Sorry.
Love those second liners..
06/08/09 10:37amCatchy and funny at the same time.
Beth
06/08/09 10:44amAs an MSU Journalism Graduate from 2004, I am disgusted by this article!!!! Not only because it’s condoning a method of birth control to MSU students, but also because it IS NOT State News material! Has the Journalism department gone that downhill that THIS is considered an actual article of interest?
Whoever is the State News editor now should be ashamed of themselves…
But boy have they gotten the comments
06/08/09 10:49amIt reminds me a little of Octomom.
Go
06/08/09 10:52amBeth, you clearly have not read this rag in a while. Snoop around. It will blow your mind. And I’m sorry.
Front Page?
06/08/09 10:55amI agree this should NOT be front page, nor even in The State News! Maybe the paper should go on summer break with the rest of the school.
Abstinence is always a good idea
06/08/09 11:00amWhat happened to waiting till you’re married? How come no one ever encourages that any more? Is it because it is unrealistic or because they don’t believe people can actually control their sexual desries?
How come I am not as offended as I should be?
06/08/09 11:06amI am the conservative one here….and I don’t understand why I am not more offened than I am. Seeing that a liberal college student said that they are offended that this is even in the paper at all. What is happening to me these past few months, I think that my mind is becoming a little to open, hum I wonder?
Ben
06/08/09 11:21amAbstinence?
Its not mentioned because it is unrealistic and not natural. We are not hard wired to wait until we are married. Lets teach actual sex education instead of the absurd idea of abstinence. It has proven ineffective.
Great quote
06/08/09 11:24am‘The pull-out method is wonderful,” Yelder said. “It works all the time if you are in a relationship and dating that person exclusively.”
If your Mom reads the paper she is going to know what you’ve been up to.
And if your girlfriend’s Mom reads the paper she is going to know what your girlfriend has been up to. ;)
Yellow_Journo
06/08/09 12:45pmDid Dr. D. write this?
This Guy
06/08/09 1:02pmAbstinence isn’t unrealistic or unnatural, and there are a lot of people who, like me, practice it. Try it, it’s not easy, especially on this campus, but it is really the way to go.
Who is ???
06/08/09 1:20pmWho is Dr. D?
KJ
06/08/09 1:25pmI cannot believe this is the front page of the State News… It looks liek you got this article from the onion. WHo the H is in charge of the State News these days? They should be ashamed…
Brittany Kinstle
06/08/09 1:43pmSo… I saw this on the front page today. Top story?
Interesting editorial decision.
Pulling out is better than nothing, I guess.
gordon
06/08/09 1:48pmAnother poor showing by the State News. Not a single source in this story said pulling out was an effective form of birth control or prevention of STDs, they just compared them to condom use, which the failure rates were higher than in all situations.
This is a terribly written, misleading story with a sensationalist title.
If you aren’t going to print news, maybe you should just take the summer off instead of being edgy by promoting unsafe sexual behaviors.
AND IT IS NOT TEXTILE FORMATTING. IT IS “TEXT STYLE” FORMATTING.
Do you wonder why people make fun of journalism students on this campus? It is because of the state news.
Brittany Kinstle
06/08/09 2:08pmAlso, what about STDs???
06/08/09 2:41pmWho wrote this, it will be ammunition for STD carrying pink shirt frat fags to pick up easy skanks at the skank tank on grand river and spread the disease. It is foolish to post this article in the paper and on the web. My GOD I feel like I’m getting Conservative or something, jeez o peets!
Zeke
06/08/09 3:09pm“Who wrote this, it will be ammunition for STD carrying pink shirt frat fags to pick up easy skanks at the skank tank on grand river and spread the disease.”
Except that the article very clearly notes that:
“In addition to the risk of user malfunctions, pulling out offers no protection against sexually transmitted infections.”
If women really trust said frat boy and agree to have sex without a barrier method, they deserve what they get.
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CharlieMurphy
06/08/09 4:02pmIt is a slow summer, people. Only a recession, rise in gas prices, largest job employment in 26 years.
See? Nothing else big going on! Or maybe this “pulling out” article pertains to Iraq?
06/08/09 4:47pmJoshua Vincent: “Who wrote this, it will be ammunition for STD carrying pink shirt frat fags to pick up easy skanks at the skank tank on grand river and spread the disease. It is foolish to post this article in the paper and on the web. My GOD I feel like I’m getting Conservative or something, jeez o peets!”
The only thing ‘conservative’ about what you are saying is that you used violent language towards gays and women.. and that’s not conservative unless you are using Rush or his buddies as your compass. Might also not want to insult people in fraternities?
Yes, this article is egregiously irresponsible.. but why take it out on gays and women? Again.. Rude.
Dr. D
06/08/09 4:56pmNope, Yellow Journ…I did not write it! But I did comment in the article because I felt the need to try and counter the sensational nature of the study. This study is not only sensational in what they say, but the study itself is more about ‘fun with numbers’ than a true sound scientific inquiry. I tried to talk the reporter out of it, but alas to no avail.
Sending the message that withdrawal is a ‘safe’ method is not only dangerous in the sense of pregnancy protection, but does nothing for STI protection. The study and the promo of the story wer done with a hidden ‘agendas’, so pay the people behind the latex curtain no mind. Peace, love and protection for all.
06/08/09 6:13pmI simply thought of one of my old roommates who just nailed em all. We called him a pink shirt frat fag. No diss on anyone, just sounds fun. I was all worked up and wrote foolishly and forgot that it now tells you who I am, bad idea Josh!
Regardless, this article is foolish and there are plenty of foolish people out there that would not read the whole thing. Still, why is this a rational article to write at a competitor for best party school. Why oh why?
Once again, no grievance with gay, no grievance with all frat boys, and lets give peace a chance.
Jules
06/08/09 8:06pmi can not even believe this was published…let alone made it to the front page. new low for the state news.
Ben
06/08/09 9:08pm“Sex should be an additional part of an ongoing relationship, and hopefully it is a committed relationship at best. But marriage is where it was designed to be, so try to hold off if you can.”
Yes I’m sure that when we evolved marriage was taken into consideration.
dana
06/08/09 9:25pmThis article is ridiculous. Even the first sentence in some way seems to condone the pushy guy’s actions…Apparently it’s now okay for a guy to take advantage of you as long as he pulls out?… Can’t wait for all the assholes out there to use this headline as justification for spreading disease and knocking up their bullied girls.
Ryan
06/08/09 9:38pmThis article is ridiculous. While I can understand the State News wanting to publish the study results, the lead is awful and corny, and you’ve got to be kidding me that this is on the front page. I also have a hard time believing the trustworthiness of the study’s source. This really was not the best choice of story.
Whatever
06/08/09 10:22pmSeriously. I’m not religious or a freak; but I’ve been dating a guy for two years and am still a virgin, and I couldn’t be happier. I have too many friends who have sex that they regret the next morning to feel like a “loser” just because I feel like waiting until I’m absolutely ready or married.
Journalism '94 Grad
06/08/09 10:51pmUnbelievably embarrassing on so many levels! This is NOT top story, front page material for a respectable news outlet. I don’t even think that’s debatable. Worse… did anyone edit this for read-ability? Even more repulsive… the moral tone. A sad day for responsible journalism at MSU. You owe your readers an apology, if not, a refund.
Who is this girl?
06/08/09 11:04pmHopefully this girl is not a JRN major. Who is this Marissa Cumbers? How did this story make it to the front page?
This story is the worst story I’ve ever seen. This does nothing but tell people that it’s kind of okay to have unprotected sex with random guys who probably have about 399 STD’s, because the pitcher’s we’re sooooo cheap!! I guess that’s okay. What a moron. When are pitchers ever cheaper than $3 anyway? I guess that’s irrelevant because the point is I don’t have to ever use a condom again with ANYONE!
excuse me?
06/08/09 11:25pmjudging from the positively frightening comments i hear from girls about what they consider proper or effective birth control methods, as well as idiots who read headlines and skip the rest of the article, publishing this story in a university paper is pretty irresponsible, much less on the front page. all college kids need is more ammunition to “save money” on condoms and perpetuate diseases already running rampant.
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Here you go
06/08/09 11:44pmFirst, Attacking the writer makes no sense becuase they don’t pick the topic…they just do what they are told. Second, I always the thought one of the points of a newspaper is to attract readers? I could be wrong, but if this is the case, it got the job done.
Grow Up!
06/09/09 3:36amThe fact that people feel so strongly negative about this is absolutely absurd to me. We live in a world today where “John & Kate Plus Eight” are regularly featured in full length articles in highly regarded national newspapers and other publications, yet there is an uproar over this article published in a liberal college newspaper. Never once in this article does the author, Marissa, promote or condone unprotected sex or not using proper contraception.
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Eve Adam
06/09/09 11:42amthis is the most ridiculous article ever published in the history of writing. i can’t even believe this has been published. and at that, in a college publication
WTF - Did I really just find this on statenews.com?
06/09/09 1:33pmWhere’s the news judgment on this one? Page One-worthy? Uh, no. Story-worthy? Barely.
Summertime news can’t be this slow… They should’ve pulled this article out of the newspaper – THAT would’ve been effective.
To: This Guy
06/09/09 1:36pmI read you’re earlier post, and I want to let you know that you are so right on, by sticking to your guns and remaining a virgin, even on a campus like this. Don’t sell yourself short Virgins are a type of sexy all to themselves. Be proud of your convictions. Save yourself for the person that desrves you and hopefully that will be when you get married. I envy you.
STD's=STI's
06/09/09 1:47pmSTD’s: sexually transmitted diseases are now referred to as STI’s: sexually transmitted infections. Always having to sound politically correct, don’t ya know.
Always Protect Yourself
06/09/09 2:14pmDon’t use the pull out method use protection. But remember Abstinence IS Best.
Whats the deal?
06/09/09 10:15pmI don’t know what you guys are talking about. I’ve been using this method for the past 3 years and I’ve only got ghonnoreah ONCE!! I think those are some pretty damn good odds. Besides, me and my partner have only one mishap, but now me and my mom call him my brother!
Gabe
06/10/09 8:30amYou all need to open your minds a little bit. This should not have upset you. She stated that they were still doing studies on STI’s and the pull out method. They are not encouraging it, she was informing you all on a new and surprising statistic. FREAK OUT.
Eric
06/10/09 12:50pmMaybe the State News should just publish four-five crosswords a day and stay away from trying to report on this rigmarole. After all, crosswords are the only reason I pick up the State News.
Pulling out method
06/10/09 1:04pmNow that is a catchy name.
Grow up
06/10/09 4:27pmI’m sorry that all of you have enough time on your hands to criticize the author. If you have such a problem with the articles, maybe you would like to go to school and study journalism and then take the author’s place since you clearly are all much better writers. Do you really think the state news would hire someone that wasn’t qualified? I think the article does a great job of presenting both sides, as any controversial article should. You don’t have to agree with it, but really, grow up- and lay off the author.
good article
06/12/09 1:44amI totally agree, it was a well-written article and by no means the first of its content to be published in the State News. It’s completely relevant to its publication’s audience.
“Condoning” pulling out? I guess any articles investigating suicide, hate crimes, or alcohol poisoning are indirectly condoning those, as well?
Get over yourselves.
Midwest Medical Student
06/19/09 7:33pmI don’t think it is appropriate to criticize statenews for reporting this story, they scooped “The Globe and Mail” (a National Canadian Newspaper), by a week. Here is the link, http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/family-and-relationships/withdrawal-gaining-favour-as-birth-control-method/article1177348/. It is the same story, but I must acknowledge that it is much better written.
I also took a look at the actual research on which this story is based, http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/reprints/Contraception79-407-410.pdf.
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