Is it possible to become pregnant if

[Possible]

you've been using the withdrawal method.

I remember being told this at school. Aparently the clear pre-ejaculation fluid contains sperm. Is this true?

[Possible]

So I'm not just stupid, I'm stupid STUPID

[Blandmum]

Yes you can get PG using withdrawal. And millions of babies world wide are evidence of this.

Even if he didn't ejaculate, there are sperm relieced in smallish numbers prior to ejaciulation.

And it only takes one.

[Possible]

I've learned more here than I ever did at school. Thank you for your time and help. I will go to the pharmacy in the morning and buy a test

and condoms if test is neg.

[Blandmum]

and no glove, no love! Not even a teeny bit!

There is a word for people who use the withdrawal method (or personal). they are called Parents! This is how I start my sex ed class in school.

[TaylorsMummy]

how late are you? it's not certain so don't worry too much. we've been using withdrawal too and i'm pretty sure he did leak some come and this was 14 days ago, bang in the middle of my cycle. anyway, i'm mega fertile, and i've just come on today, so there is a good chance your not, especially as you weren't right in the middle of your cycle.

i've also used this method loads in the past with exs and only fallen pregnant when they have come inside me.

[nomdeplume]

erm, sorry to burst the holier than thou bubble of many on this thread but DH and I have used the withdrawal method since DD was born nearly 5 years ago. No 'accidents' have happened to us and we were a perfectly normal couple when it came to conception of DD - got pg naturally on 4th month of 'trying'

[Blandmum]

Failure rates for withrdrawl are arounf 20%, so a 1/5 failure rate. There are people who use it sucessfully, but it really shouldn't be thought of as a good form of contraception, because for the majority of people it isn't.

I hope that Possible gets the result that she wants.

[nomdeplume]

of course it isn't a failsafe method of contraception, but it isn't the 'one dribble and your pg' scenario either.

[Blandmum]

not every time, but sometimes, yes it can be.

It isnt being 'holier than thou' it is just biological fact.

And for many people it doesn't work.

I'm seriously happy that you have used it with such sucess and that you are obviously happy with it. But it isn't a reliable form of contracption for the majority of people who use it.

[RibenaBerry]

I think it's a bit cruel to call people 'holier than thou'. We were all pointing out the risks as a method and trying to do so in a supportive way for the OP. I don't know the statistics on its failure rate, but if a failure rate of 20% is correct, that of course means that there are some people who it will work for. It just means that for lots and lots of people it will not.

Possible - I hope that you get the result you want or, if you don't, that it works out for the best for you.

[Blandmum]

It is better than nothing.

'Typical' use is 19-20% failure rate.

[Blandmum]

There should have been a 'though' at the end of the first sentence.

It is better than not using anything at all.

[Possible]

Thank you all for your input. I will be happy with either result but will definately not be using it as a form of contraception in the future. It may very well work for some people but with this new knowledge I won't trust it anymore.

[beansprout]

And to be fair, the OP is asking if she could be pregnant, to which the answer, holy or otherwise, is "yes"!!

[Blandmum]

It is one of those things that can be useful for spacing your kids, I think.

I used to work in the contraceptive buisness, and the thing that loads of people forget (docs and patients both) in that our contraceptive needs change, as our life changes.

I switched from the very effective pill to the less effective diaphragm when dh and I were getting ready to start our family. I knew the relative risks of getting PG, and getting PG wouldn't have been a huge issue at that point in my life.

Picking contraception is all about finding that suits you and your partner at that point in your life. And part of that decision has to be based on knowing the failure rates of the various options.

That isn't being holier than thou NDP, it is just giving people information that they can then use.

And Possible, whatever happens stop beating up on yourself. We all do 'daft' stuff. You are not the first person to be confused over this stuff and you wil not be the last.


Hope you get what you want.

[Blandmum]

the one that catches most people out is that they think that forgetting the pill in the middle of the cycle is more dangerous than forgetting one at the begining or end of the packet. And that makes sense, doesn't it, because that would be when your body would releace the egg.

In actuall fact the 'worst' pills to miss (or be sick etc on) at the ones at the begining and end of the packet. Because these extend the pill free interval, and an egg can sneak out!

I made this mistake and I'm a biologist ffs!

Both my adorable neices are accidents and db is a biology teacher.

Dh is an accident as well and his mother is.......

.....wait for it


.....another biology teacher.

Have mates who are Midwives who have 'slipped up'

To err is human and all that.

But the facts are the facts.

[beansprout]

I've never been one to laugh at/blame people for not knowing things that other people really should have taught them. Possible, you have clearly been taught that this method is safe, so please don't give yourself a hard time for not knowing everything there is to know about it.

[beansprout]

Dh has 3 kids with 3 different women due to some fine contraceptive failures. He is as far from feckless a man as you could possibly find but his CV is often interpreted differently!!

[BabyBratt]

OOh I've been ttc for 7 months, I might start using the withdrawal method

Things happen and my mum says I am the best mistake she ever made.

Hope things go your way. Good luck

[Possible]

Going to bed now with cramps so likely AF wil be here tomorrow.

I think I might be a little disappointed

[wishingfourgotone]

oh so you got your hopes up then it can happen but not definatly!
Your local family planning can help you either way with what ever you choose!

[Possible]

I never though about it really until the last few days and kind of got used to the idea. We've been using that method for so long and I've never been late so never questioned it's effectiveness.

I don't know what to feel. Still no AF but I'm very crampy and my are boobs very sore so I'm expecting it soon. It's very odd for me, I'm normally like a clock. When Af didn't come as expected it got me thinking.

If anything, it's a wakeup call and maybe even time to consider another baby.