Coitus interruptus, also commonly called the withdrawal method, the natural method, pull and pray, or pulling out is an unreliable method of contraception in which, during sexual intercourse, the man removes his penis from the woman's vagina just before he reaches orgasm. That way, the ejaculation of semen is not in the vagina but elsewhere.

Used by itself, this method is unreliable, because of the difficulty of controlling the process of ejaculation. It has been suggested that the pre-ejaculate ("Cowper's fluid"), which has a lubricatory function, may contain spermatozoa (sperm), and is easily drawn into the vagina by the capillary effect. However, modern research suggests that in fact there are no live sperm in the fluid, and the primary cause of failure of this method of contraception is the lack of self-control of those using it: interrupting just at climax can be psychologically difficult, as it goes entirely against instincts and reflexes all designed to encourage procreation by encouraging ejaculation to occur deeply within the vagina. It is also totally ineffective in the prevention of STDs, since pre-ejaculate may carry viral particles or bacteria which may infect the partner should the fluid come in contact with mucous membranes.

The advantage of coitus interruptus is that it can be used by people who have religious objections against other methods of contraception, and that it requires no artificial devices. A man in a committed relationship might also enjoy the fact that his female partner is not subjecting herself to artificial hormones. The disadvantage, as stated, is that it can be extremely unreliable.

The Bible describes this method in the story about Onan.

According to a widely circulated joke, the obstetrics and gynaecology nurses' argot term for a woman relying on "the natural method" is "mother". In actuality, being educated about different forms of natural methods and combining them can improve the effect. According to Emory University, withdrawal has a typical failure rate of 19%. However, for the couples that use this method correctly, the failure rate is 4% [1]. In comparison the pill has a first-year failure rate of 5%, which drops to about 0.1% if used correctly [2].

See also

• coitus reservatus
• Fertility Awareness Method (FAM)

References

• Weschler, Toni, "Taking Charge of Your Fertility: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control and Pregnancy Achievement." ISBN 0060950536