# What are the means for preventing conception? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 8, 2003, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-means-for-preventing-conception/193925 "2003-08-08T22:36:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![il\_Topo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eb9ed0/32.png) [@il\_Topo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/il_Topo)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-means-for-preventing-conception/193925/1 "2003-08-08T22:36:52Z")
I’m looking for a list of contraception devices, drugs, techniques, etc. that prevent fertilization. That may sound redundant, but apparently many “contraceptives” actually allow “conception” and then clean up after the fact. I’m looking for “true contraceptives” which prevent conception, and have a low-to-no probability of causing harm to a fertilized egg which results if the “true contraceptive” fails. I can think of several: **Abstinence** : Obviously no conception occurs there, but not very satisfying if you get my drift. Barrier methods: **condoms, sponges, diaphragms**. Any others? Any pills or patches or the like that are truly _and only_ contraceptive? If you come up with a contraceptive that serves a dual role (i.e., it harms or otherwise causes conditions difficult for survival of any fertilized eggs or fetuses which result from failure of the contraceptives primary purpose of preventing conception), can you identify it? Just trying to inform myself on this topic. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-means-for-preventing-conception/193925/2 "2003-08-08T23:37:55Z")
Spermacides. They kill the sperm before it reachs the egg. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-means-for-preventing-conception/193925/3 "2003-08-08T23:43:10Z")
Oh yea, what about IUD’s, Depo-Provera, isn’t there also some new ring thing. (\<–I’m not sure if those are what your looking for or not). Also there’s sterilization (sp?) Vasectomy, Tubal Ligation, Hysterectomy (kinda extreme for BC though). If you do a google search on Birth Control I’m sure you can come up with loads more. Also you mention techniques, one would be pulling out (coitus interuptus I think it’s called, or something like that) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-means-for-preventing-conception/193925/4 "2003-08-08T23:44:39Z")
Abstinence:smack: ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-means-for-preventing-conception/193925/5 "2003-08-08T23:46:28Z")
(from memory of some religious groups having a problems with them) IUDs prevent implantation but not conception ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-means-for-preventing-conception/193925/6 "2003-08-08T23:47:36Z")
“Abstinence makes the hand go faster”. Or is that “Absence makes the heart grow fonder”? I know it’s one of those two. ---
**Author:** ![homercles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ed8c4c/32.png) [@homercles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/homercles)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-means-for-preventing-conception/193925/7 "2003-08-08T23:50:54Z")
I know people are going to want to visciously disagree, but if the man has control, withdrawl is a perfectly viable option for avoiding making perfectly viable little humans. I personally, i have a 0% conception rate with withdrawl and i have used this technique MANY times with a number of different women. The key is to know when you do and dont have solid control. If im feeling like i “might” slip up, then back to the old barrier technique. BTW, flamesuit on. 😃 On second thought, i have never actully gotten anyone pregnant (nor have i ever whated to), so maybe im fertile:smack: —nevermind. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-means-for-preventing-conception/193925/8 "2003-08-08T23:53:07Z")
Birth control pills, and presumably other similar hormone-based items like Norplant and patches, prevent ovulation. No egg, no conception. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-means-for-preventing-conception/193925/9 "2003-08-08T23:54:22Z")
That method isn’t foolproof, howeever, **homercles**. preejaculate fluid can and often does contain small quantities of sperm, though nothing like the numbers in the final product, as it were. Still, the risk is there. ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-means-for-preventing-conception/193925/10 "2003-08-08T23:58:06Z")
> [@](#): > > Birth control pills… prevent ovulation. _Some_ birth control pills prevent ovulation. The “Mini-Pill” permits ovulation and fertilisation and works by preventing implantation. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-means-for-preventing-conception/193925/11 "2003-08-09T00:05:12Z")
Also–in regard to the second part of your question. Birth control pills are unlikely to harm a developing fetus if they do fail. This includes emergency “morning after” pills. ---
**Author:** ![homercles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ed8c4c/32.png) [@homercles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/homercles)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-means-for-preventing-conception/193925/12 "2003-08-09T00:07:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Q.E.D. \* > \*\*That method isn’t foolproof, howeever, **homercles**. preejaculate fluid can and often does contain small quantities of sperm, though nothing like the numbers in the final product, as it were. Still, the risk is there. \*\* Im well aware of your (and others make the same argument) argument, but you said it–“preejaculate.” There are no sperm in the prostate which releases the fluid (your “preejaculate”) that coats the urethrea (and protects the sperm from harsh acidities) during an erection. Yet, you are right in that there are miniscule numbers of sperm in the fluid SHORTLY BEFORE ejaculation. This is part of what im talking about with “control.” Its all about the kegels. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-means-for-preventing-conception/193925/13 "2003-08-09T00:16:15Z")
> [@](#): > > Yet, you are right in that there are miniscule numbers of sperm in the fluid SHORTLY BEFORE ejaculation. If by “shortly before” you mean the preceding 15-30 minutes then yeah. If you mean anyting less then no. Some sperm are present in the pre-ejacualte, which as you point out mostly comes from the prostate and associated glands. But it is only mostly. Some of the fluid comes form the testes and does contain active sperm. The length of the stimulatory period prior to orgasm largely controls when active sperm are released. A five minute whoa-to-go quickie is unlikely to result in release much before ejacualtion. Prolonged foreplay or an hour spent watching pornos can easily result in pre-ejaculate and sperm release before you’ve got your trousers off. Unless you only practice wham-bam-thank you mam intercourse or are claiming truly superhuman control and an ability to sense an orgasm half an hour before it arrives then the risk is still there. ---
**Author:** ![homercles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ed8c4c/32.png) [@homercles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/homercles)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-means-for-preventing-conception/193925/14 "2003-08-09T00:35:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Blake \* > \*\*If by “shortly before” you mean the preceding 15-30 minutes then yeah. If you mean anyting less then no. Some sperm are present in the pre-ejacualte, which as you point out mostly comes from the prostate and associated glands. But it is only mostly. Some of the fluid comes form the testes and does contain active sperm. > > The length of the stimulatory period prior to orgasm largely controls when active sperm are released. A five minute whoa-to-go quickie is unlikely to result in release much before ejacualtion. Prolonged foreplay or an hour spent watching pornos can easily result in pre-ejaculate and sperm release before you’ve got your trousers off. Unless you only practice wham-bam-thank you mam intercourse or are claiming truly superhuman control and an ability to sense an orgasm half an hour before it arrives then the risk is still there. \*\* Your source? Wait, here’s one: “The sperm travel through the vas deferens and are stored at its upper end until mixed with the secretions of the seminal vesicles and prostate _just prior to ejaculation_.” [my emphasis] [My source](http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/texts/guide/hmg10_0002.html) ---
**Author:** ![homercles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ed8c4c/32.png) [@homercles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/homercles)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-means-for-preventing-conception/193925/15 "2003-08-09T01:33:08Z")
Note: it seems that my post went in simultaneously with the all to common sys overload (read as unoptimized for traffic db) and the link to my source seems to have been corrupted. Sometimes it works, others not…i will repost when this forum regains its legs. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-means-for-preventing-conception/193925/16 "2003-08-09T02:56:59Z")
IUDs do not prevent ovulation - they prevent implantation of a fertilized egg. (And it’s probably more accurate to say that **most** rather than **some** oral contraceptives prevent ovulation.) ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-means-for-preventing-conception/193925/17 "2003-08-09T03:17:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by homercles \* > \*\* “The sperm travel through the vas deferens and are stored at its upper end until mixed with the secretions of the seminal vesicles and prostate _just prior to ejaculation_.” [my emphasis] > > [My source](http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/texts/guide/hmg10_0002.html) \*\* That’s a _patient education sheet_ you linked to. Your assertion relies entirely on the word “just” being correct in your cite, and meaning “mere seconds”. Pre-ejaculate production and leakage does NOT signal ejaculatory inevitability. Any foreplay can cause pre-ejaculate to be produced. That means it can be present prior to insertion. And there can elapse anywhere from seconds to minutes to hours to days between pre-ejaculate production and actual ejaculation. Withdrawal is **not** reliable contraception, even for the most _iron-willed_ of men. QtM, MD ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-means-for-preventing-conception/193925/18 "2003-08-09T03:26:39Z")
[http://www.whitelotuseast.com/MaleSexuality.htm](http://www.whitelotuseast.com/MaleSexuality.htm) > [@](#): > > Most men will produce pre-ejaculate when anything considered to be sexually exciting occurs, perhaps even reading a sexually explicit story or watching a sexually explicit movie. There is no limit to the length of time that a man can be aroused, and throughout arousal the man can continue to produce drops of pre-ejaculate [http://www.africanfly.com/SexualHealthResearch/menssexuality.html](http://www.africanfly.com/SexualHealthResearch/menssexuality.html) > [@](#): > > Most men will produce pre-ejaculate while observing anything regarded as sexually exciting, perhaps even reading a sexually explicit story or watching a sexually explicit movie…. > There is no limit to the length of time that a man can be arouses, and throughout the man can continue to produce drops of pre-ejaculate. feast.ed.uiuc.edu/sites/woodlawn/eberry/Berry/Male%20Reproductive%20System.ppt > [@](#): > > from pre-ejaculate, the fluid that comes from a man’s penis not during orgasm, but when he is first aroused. ---
**Author:** ![homercles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ed8c4c/32.png) [@homercles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/homercles)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-means-for-preventing-conception/193925/19 "2003-08-09T03:33:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Qadgop the Mercotan \* > \*\*That’s a _patient education sheet_ you linked to. Your assertion relies entirely on the word “just” being correct in your cite, and meaning “mere seconds”. > > Pre-ejaculate production and leakage does NOT signal ejaculatory inevitability. Any foreplay can cause pre-ejaculate to be produced. That means it can be present prior to insertion. And there can elapse anywhere from seconds to minutes to hours to days between pre-ejaculate production and actual ejaculation. > > Withdrawal is **not** reliable contraception, even for the most _iron-willed_ of men. > > QtM, MD \*\* Well, Qadgop, i dont care if you are a real clinician/md or not. Dimes to dollars youre a family clincian. My scientific training (yes, that means phd) tells me otherwise. Care to wager? Reminder: your “rep” is on the line. I assert you are a clinician. Care to challenge a real scientist? ---
**Author:** ![homercles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ed8c4c/32.png) [@homercles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/homercles)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-means-for-preventing-conception/193925/20 "2003-08-09T03:39:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Blake \* > \*\*[http://www.whitelotuseast.com/MaleSexuality.htm](http://www.whitelotuseast.com/MaleSexuality.htm) > > [http://www.africanfly.com/SexualHealthResearch/menssexuality.html](http://www.africanfly.com/SexualHealthResearch/menssexuality.html) > feast.ed.uiuc.edu/sites/woodlawn/eberry/Berry/Male%20Reproductive%20System.ppt \*\* Yes, Blake, thaks for showing how god damn dumb you are. Not a single one of those links/quotes addresses the fact that sperm does not become a part semem until just before ejaculation. Man, you are SERIOUSLY stupid! Thanks for sharing, now sit down and SHUT UP! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-means-for-preventing-conception/193925.md?page=2)