Go to Content Go to Navigation Go to Navigation Go to Site Search Homepage

My boyfriend and I just started having sex and we always are very careful in checking everything and he always pulls out very early but we are both inexperienced. How likely is it that I will not get pregnant?

It sounds like you and your boyfriend are using the pull out method — also known as withdrawal. Withdrawal can prevent pregnancy by keeping semen out of the vagina. Like all birth control methods, withdrawal is most effective at preventing pregnancy when you use it correctly. But withdrawal can be a lot harder to use correctly than some other birth control methods, especially for teenagers.

There’s nothing wrong with being sexually inexperienced — everybody is sexually experienced at one point — but it can make it hard to totally understand how your body works during sex. And for guys, that can mean it’s hard to know exactly when they’ve reached the point where ejaculation can’t be stopped or postponed. This is one reason why so many girls get pregnant from guys not pulling out in time.

Condoms might be a good alternative for you and your boyfriend. Condoms are widely available and inexpensive — some health centers even give them away for free. And, unlike withdrawal, they can also help prevent STDs.

Tags: pull out method, withdrawal, pulling out

Explore more on

Planned Parenthood cares about your data privacy. We and our third-party vendors use cookies and other tools to collect, store, monitor, and analyze information about your interaction with our site to improve performance, analyze your use of our sites and assist in our marketing efforts. You may opt out of the use of these cookies and other tools at any time by visiting Cookie Settings. By clicking “Allow All Cookies” you consent to our collection and use of such data, and our Terms of Use. For more information, see our Privacy Notice.

Cookie Settings

Planned Parenthood cares about your data privacy. We and our third-party vendors, use cookies, pixels, and other tracking technologies to collect, store, monitor, and process certain information about you when you access and use our services, read our emails, or otherwise engage with us. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences, or your device. We use that information to make the site work, analyze performance and traffic on our website, to provide a more personalized web experience, and assist in our marketing efforts. We also share information with our social media, advertising, and analytics partners. You can change your default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of required cookies when utilizing our site; this includes necessary cookies that help our site to function (such as remembering your cookie preference settings). For more information, please see our Privacy Notice.

Marketing

On

We use online advertising to promote our mission and help constituents find our services. Marketing pixels help us measure the success of our campaigns.

Performance

On

We use qualitative data, including session replay, to learn about your user experience and improve our products and services.

Analytics

On

We use web analytics to help us understand user engagement with our website, trends, and overall reach of our products.