This Is How Many Women Get Pregnant From "Pulling Out" Each Year

Unfortunately, a recent study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that way too many teens are relying on the pull-out method (or "withdrawal" method) as their primary form of birth control.

Pulling out was the second most popular form of birth control amongst teen girls, with more than half (60 percent) of them admitting that they've used this method.

If you need a quick refresher on what pulling out is, here's Planned Parenthood's definition:

Your penis has to be all the way out of your partner's vagina before you ejaculate, and then you have to ejaculate (cum) away from your partner's vulva and vagina.

Needless to say, there's a lot of room for error in that process. And 60 percent of teens are trying it. Great.

But the thing is, the pull-out method comes with a risk of pregnancy.

The statistical risk of pregnancy while only using the pull-out method is pretty alarming.

Planned Parenthood reports that even when executed absolutely perfectly, four in every 100 women (4 percent) will still get pregnant using the pull-out method.

That being said, most people aren't executing the pull-out method absolutely perfectly.

Because of that, in reality, Planned Parenthood reports 27 in every 100 women (aka more than a quarter) may actually end up getting pregnant every year.

So how exactly are people making said "errors" when pulling out?

Well, in order for the pull-out method to work perfectly, as mentioned before, Planned Parenthood explains that the man's penis has to be completely out of his female partner's vagina and vulva before he ejaculates.

Once he's made sure he's completely out, he has to come away from both the vulva and the vagina.

Seems easy enough. But it's much easier said than done when it comes time to actually do it.

The problem is that withdrawal takes a lot of self-control. According to Planned Parenthood, you pretty much have to know the exact moment you're going to come, while still having enough self-control to pull out well before that moment.

So in order to masterfully execute the pullout method, you have to have a really good understanding of your body and what it feels like when you're about to cum, which apparently can be hard for the sexually inexperienced.

Hmm... what sexually active group of people have the literal least amount of experience? Oh, yeah! Teenagers! Really reassuring to know that 60 percent of them are trying out this pros-only method.

And let's not forget the stakes are high here. Planned Parenthood explains that semen in the vagina or even on the vulva could potentially result in pregnancy.

What should you be doing then?

If you insist on pulling out, Planned Parenthood recommends men masturbate more so they can get to know their bodies better and recognize when they're going to come and successfully pull out in time.

Another thing it recommends you do is use condoms along with the pull-out method, so you can get your body used to pulling out without worrying about the whole pregnancy thing.

You should also have an emergency contraceptive on hand just in case the pull-out method doesn't go as planned. (We're not perfect!)

And if you really want to be safe pregnancy-wise, but you just don't love using condoms, an IUD or another form of birth control are probably your best bets.

Or you could just use condoms and stop stressing about pregnancy and STDs. Now, there is a thought!