Combined effectiveness of 2+ methods
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Combined effectiveness of 2+ methods
| Mon, 10-02-2006 - 5:59pm |
OK, we all know the arguments against using withdrawal as a primary method, but what if it's used in conjunction with a spermicide? It seems to me that the chances of pregnancy would be pretty slim. Does anyone here know -- or has anyone used these methods together?
As a secondary question on this topic, how does one go about calculating the combined effectiveness of 2 or more methods, whatever they may be?
Thanks!



You multiply the effectiveness of the two methods together.
For instance:
Perfect use of spermicides (15% failure) and withdrawal method (4% failure):
0.15 x 0.04 = 0.006
which equates to 0.6% risk of failure.
Then with TYPICAL use of spermicides (29% failure) and withdrawal method (27% failure):
0.29 x 0.27 = 0.0783
which equates to just under 8% risk of failure.
For perfect use of the withdrawal method, your partner would have to be very good at controlling his orgasms, and pulling out early enough that no ejaculate ends up inside of you, or on the outside.
Hi singer74, welcome!
Jill
I hadn't really considered the diaphragm until just now, even though I do know about it. The idea of a cervical cap bugs me because I'd be worried about it getting bumped out of place.
As for the diaphragm, this may be a silly question, but -- how much do they cost and what if I hate it? I don't want to waste a lot of money. Once we get married (which will hopefully be within a year), I'm sure we'll just "risk" w/d anyway, because we'll be wanting to conceive relatively soon (I'm 31, he's 34 and we're childless).
Another question -- if we decide to go the spermicide + withdrawal route, would adding a diaphragm to the mix afford that much more protection? Just a thought. Finally, I should also mention that I seem to be prone to yeast infections. Maybe having to leave the diaphragm in for a while after intercourse could cause an issue?
Thanks for the advice!!
Edited 10/5/2006 6:32 pm ET by singer74
Hi again singer74,
Jill