Withdrawal means a man removes his penis from a woman's vagina before he ejaculates. This prevents most sperm from entering the vagina. It is not a very effective means of birth control. It has a failure rate of four to 27 per cent. Withdrawal does not provide protection against sexually transmitted infections.

Advantages

• costs nothing
• always available; sex doesn't have to be planned in advance

Disadvantages

• not effective when used alone
• some men cannot anticipate when they will ejaculate (this is particularly true for teens)
• many men release seminal fluid and sperm before ejaculation
• depends on the cooperation and commitment of your partner
• does not protect against sexually transmitted infections
• interrupts sex