Yes, you can still get pregnant if he pulls out. About 22 out of 100 women who rely on the withdrawal method will become pregnant within a year of typical use. Even with perfect timing every single time, the failure rate is still around 4 out of 100 women per year. The pull-out method is far better than nothing, but it’s one of the least reliable forms of birth control.
Why Pulling Out Can Still Lead to Pregnancy
There are two main reasons the withdrawal method fails: pre-ejaculate fluid can contain sperm, and timing mistakes happen more often than people think.
Pre-ejaculate (precum) is the fluid released from the penis before ejaculation. A study published in Human Fertility found that 41% of men produced pre-ejaculate samples containing sperm, and in 37% of cases those sperm were actively swimming. The concentrations were sometimes comparable to what’s considered fertile in a normal ejaculate, though the total number of sperm was low. Importantly, men who had sperm in their pre-ejaculate had it consistently across multiple samples. It wasn’t random. Some men leak motile sperm before they finish, and others don’t, but there’s no way to know which category your partner falls into without lab testing.
The second problem is human error. In the moment, pulling out at exactly the right time requires awareness, self-control, and consistency. A slight delay, a misjudgment, or simply getting caught up in the moment can mean semen enters the vagina. That gap between perfect use (4% failure rate) and typical use (22% failure rate) exists almost entirely because of these timing mistakes.
What “Perfect Use” Actually Requires
For withdrawal to work as well as it possibly can, the penis must be fully withdrawn before any semen comes out, every single time you have sex. Ejaculation also needs to happen well away from your partner’s genitals, because pregnancy can occur if even a small amount of semen contacts the vulva or vaginal opening. There’s no room for “almost” or “most of the time.” One slip during a fertile window is all it takes.
Even couples who do this perfectly still face a 4% annual pregnancy rate, largely because of the pre-ejaculate issue described above. That 4% rate applies to couples who never once make a timing error over an entire year, which is a high bar in practice.
How It Compares to Other Methods
To put the 22% typical-use failure rate in context: hormonal IUDs and implants have failure rates under 1%. The birth control pill fails about 9% of the time with typical use. Condoms fail about 18% of the time with typical use. Withdrawal at 22% sits near the bottom of the effectiveness scale, just above using no method at all, which results in pregnancy for about 85 out of 100 women within a year.
One approach that improves the odds significantly is combining withdrawal with another method. Using condoms alongside pulling out, or pairing withdrawal with fertility awareness (tracking your cycle to avoid sex during your most fertile days), brings the combined failure rate down considerably compared to either method alone.
The Pull-Out Method Doesn’t Protect Against STIs
The withdrawal method provides zero protection against sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and herpes. STIs can be transmitted through pre-ejaculate, skin-to-skin contact, and vaginal fluids exchanged during intercourse, all of which happen before withdrawal. If STI prevention matters to you, condoms are the only contraceptive method that also reduces infection risk.
What to Do If Withdrawal Fails
If he didn’t pull out in time, or you’re unsure whether semen made contact, emergency contraception can significantly reduce your chance of pregnancy. The most widely available option (sold over the counter as Plan B and similar brands) works best within 72 hours, though sooner is more effective. A prescription alternative stays effective for up to five days (120 hours) after unprotected sex and works better for people who weigh more than 155 pounds, a threshold where the over-the-counter option becomes less reliable.
A copper IUD inserted within five days of unprotected sex is the most effective form of emergency contraception, reducing pregnancy risk by more than 99%. It also provides ongoing birth control for up to 10 years afterward. This requires a clinic visit, so call promptly if it’s an option you’d consider.
Who Still Uses Withdrawal and Why
Despite its limitations, withdrawal is one of the most commonly used contraceptive methods worldwide. People choose it because it’s free, always available, requires no prescription, and has no hormonal side effects. For couples who would be okay with an unplanned pregnancy but prefer to reduce the odds, it serves a different purpose than it does for someone who absolutely cannot become pregnant right now.
If preventing pregnancy is a high priority for you, withdrawal alone isn’t reliable enough. Pairing it with a more effective method, or switching to a longer-acting option like an IUD or implant, dramatically lowers your risk. If you’ve been relying on pulling out and want better protection, any contraceptive method you’ll actually use consistently is better than a “perfect” method you won’t.