Withdrawal method inquiries and user experiences: An analysis of content posted on 4 gendered forums on Reddit.

OBJECTIVES

Limited research and guidance on the use of "withdrawal" or coitus interruptus for contraception lead to inconsistent or even inaccurate physician recommendations regarding its use. Consequently, patients rely on online communities to learn about this commonly used contraceptive method. To identify knowledge gaps and concerns between men and women, as well as explore how they use withdrawal, we examined withdrawal-related posts on the popular internet discussion forum, Reddit.

STUDY DESIGN

To explore gendered variations in withdrawal-related Reddit posts, we extracted posts from the gendered forums: "TwoXChromosomes," "Askwomen," "Askmen," and "OneY" between 2010 and 2019 that contained the search terms: "coitus interruptus," "withdrawal," "pull out," "preejaculate," or "precum." We developed an initial codebook with expected codes and augmented it with emerging findings from a random sampling of 10% of posts. We revised iteratively for interrater agreement, after which researchers coded the remaining posts independently.

RESULTS

Of 269 withdrawal-related queries, 19% were submitted by men; 81% referenced the contributor's own withdrawal use. Salient domains included: concerns about pregnancy risk (59%), how to effectively use withdrawal (13%), benefits/pleasure from using withdrawal (12%), impact on personal life/relationship (9%), and problems encountered, inclusive of consent (7%). Posts to female-focused forums more frequently inquired about pregnancy risk, while those on male forums more frequently inquired about withdrawal-related logistics (p < 0.001); domains were not associated with contributor gender.

CONCLUSION

Withdrawal-related queries within this Reddit sample are frequently posted by women, the majority of whom want to understand their risk of pregnancy with withdrawal. Research operationalizing withdrawal and more accurately estimating withdrawal-related pregnancy risk is warranted.

IMPLICATIONS

Reddit users discuss their personal experiences with withdrawal as contraception, as well as seek advice regarding its use from the online community. Pregnancy risk, logistics of use, and ongoing stigma are salient topics. Further research on pregnancy risk, operationalizing success, and approaches for discussing this behavioral method is warranted.