Withdrawal is about 78% effective with typical use, so about 22 in 100 couples using it for a year get pregnant.
Perfect use pushes that to roughly 96% effective, but perfect use means pulling out before ejaculation, correctly, every single time, which is exactly where real life intrudes. Pre-ejaculate adds a structural weakness: it can carry sperm picked up in the urethra, so even flawless technique is not foolproof. Withdrawal also provides zero STI protection. Its genuine strengths are that it is free, always available, and hormone-free, and it beats using nothing. It earns its keep mainly as a second layer: combined with condoms or a hormonal method, a slip on either side is still covered. If a mistimed moment would be a crisis, choose a primary method with a better failure rate and keep withdrawal as backup at most. And if the method just failed, emergency contraception works up to 5 days after unprotected sex, sooner is better.
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Common questions
How effective is the pull out method?
The pull out method, also called withdrawal, is about 78% effective with typical use: roughly 22 out of 100 couples relying on it for a year will see a pregnancy. With perfect use every single time, effectiveness rises to about 96%, but perfection is hard because withdrawal demands flawless timing during sex, every time, with no exceptions. Two things make it unreliable in practice. First, pre-ejaculate can pick up sperm left in the urethra from a recent ejaculation, so pregnancy is possible even when withdrawal is executed correctly. Second, the method fails exactly when timing fails, and timing fails in the moment. It also does nothing against STIs. That said, withdrawal is free, always available, and hormone-free, and it is meaningfully better than nothing. It works best in two situations: as a backup layered onto another method (condoms, the pill, the ring), where the combination covers a slip, or for couples who would accept a pregnancy without disaster. If pregnancy would be a serious problem for you right now, withdrawal alone is the wrong primary method: the implant, IUD, pill, patch, and ring all beat it decisively. Emergency contraception can prevent pregnancy up to 5 days after unprotected sex if the method failed.