One of the most popular ways in which young people try to prevent pregnancy is withdrawal (also known as the "pull out" method), where the man withdraws his penis right before orgasm and ejaculates outside his partners vagina.
it seems logical right? if the man does not ejaculate inside the vagina, there will be no sperm there right? WRONG!
how can this be? in order to understand why we must first understand some basic male anatomy. we all know penis, testis, scrotum and prostate gland but few people (including most men) are probably aware of the Cowper's glands. the Cowper's glands are two pea sized structures located beneath the prostate.they secrete an alkaline fluid (a base) that appears at the tip of the penis prior to orgasm. it is a clear sticky fluid known in common slang as the "pre cum". the fluid neutralizes the acidity of the urethra, and so the sperm are not destroyed when passing through the penis during ejaculation.
looking at a diagram of the internal male reproductive system, we see that the Cowper's glands are located directly below the prostate. the Cowper's glands can contain stray sperm so during unprotected intercourse the man can still have some of his sperm inside the woman even if he pulls out during ejaculation.
studies have found that about 25% of women using the withdrawal method conceive within the first year of use. using the "pull out" method is like playing Russian roulette. the odds may be in your favor, but if you repeatedly do it your luck will eventually run out.
it seems logical right? if the man does not ejaculate inside the vagina, there will be no sperm there right? WRONG!
how can this be? in order to understand why we must first understand some basic male anatomy. we all know penis, testis, scrotum and prostate gland but few people (including most men) are probably aware of the Cowper's glands. the Cowper's glands are two pea sized structures located beneath the prostate.they secrete an alkaline fluid (a base) that appears at the tip of the penis prior to orgasm. it is a clear sticky fluid known in common slang as the "pre cum". the fluid neutralizes the acidity of the urethra, and so the sperm are not destroyed when passing through the penis during ejaculation.
looking at a diagram of the internal male reproductive system, we see that the Cowper's glands are located directly below the prostate. the Cowper's glands can contain stray sperm so during unprotected intercourse the man can still have some of his sperm inside the woman even if he pulls out during ejaculation.
studies have found that about 25% of women using the withdrawal method conceive within the first year of use. using the "pull out" method is like playing Russian roulette. the odds may be in your favor, but if you repeatedly do it your luck will eventually run out.
