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
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