Withdrawal carries significant risks: it may lead to andrological diseases and sexual dysfunction.
**Part 6**
**Withdrawal may lead to urological diseases.**
**Case Study**
**Name: Yu Chao (pseudonym), 28 years old**
**Region: Guangzhou, Guangdong**
**Occupation: Bank Employee**
Yu Chao has been married for two years. His wife is his classmate from his graduate school. They want to enjoy their life as a couple for a few more years and plan to have children after they turn 30. They currently use withdrawal or the rhythm method for contraception.
Yu Chao and his wife have been sexually active for several years. His wife had become pregnant unintentionally before, but because she was still in school, she had an abortion. Afterwards, his wife was very afraid and even refused to have sex. Yu Chao felt that using condoms wasn't exciting enough, and his wife was worried about the effects of birth control pills on her health and the future health of their child, so they could only maintain withdrawal as their method of contraception.
However, Yu Chao recently discovered that after ejaculating outside the vagina, his penis always felt a little heavy and swollen, and he had lost his previous passion for sex.
Dr. Deng Chunhua, Chief Physician of Urology and Andrology at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University: Contraception is an unavoidable topic in married life. Appropriate contraceptive methods can not only serve the purpose of family planning but can also sometimes add a touch of novelty to a couple's sex life. Currently, the most commonly used contraceptive methods are condoms or birth control pills. However, some men dislike the friction of condoms, and some women find birth control pills complicated and troublesome, so they choose withdrawal or the rhythm method. However, these seemingly "effective" methods not only have low safety levels but can also easily lead to unintended pregnancy if not used properly. Long-term use of withdrawal can also cause andrological diseases such as sexual dysfunction, pelvic and prostate inflammation and congestion. Below, we will briefly analyze the reasons why withdrawal and other contraceptive methods may cause diseases.
Withdrawal ejaculation refers to the practice of intentionally interrupting intercourse just before ejaculation, allowing semen to be expelled outside the woman's vagina. The entire process of male sexual intercourse is controlled by the cerebral cortex and regulated by the neuroendocrine system, involving a series of tense and orderly chain reactions from the male reproductive system and multiple organ systems throughout the body.
Suddenly interrupting intercourse at the moment of approaching orgasm abruptly stops this series of tense and orderly chain reactions, thereby impairing the function of the ejaculation center in the cerebral cortex and lumbosacral region.
Over time, this can easily lead to functional ejaculatory dysfunction, and may even cause premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction. Forcibly suppressing ejaculation for extended periods can cause coordination disorders in the lower urinary tract and pelvic floor. When bladder neck dysfunction or functional obstruction of the posterior urethra occurs, retrograde ejaculation may result. Forcibly suppressing ejaculation for extended periods can also cause pelvic and prostate congestion, leading to problems such as prostatitis and chronic pelvic pain syndrome.
In addition, when using withdrawal or the rhythm method for contraception, both partners may experience prolonged high levels of stress and anxiety due to concerns about unintended pregnancy. This negative psychological stimulation can affect sexual arousal, especially the experience of orgasm, and may lead to frigidity over time.
Therefore, long-term use of methods such as withdrawal or the rhythm method is not recommended.
What should you do if the above problems occur?
First, the aforementioned inappropriate contraceptive methods should be corrected. Second, one should let go of psychological burdens and understand that these problems are mostly functional disorders; as long as the causative factors are avoided and pelvic floor muscle exercises are performed, most cases can resolve on their own. In a few cases, it is necessary to consult a urologist or andrologist for behavioral and drug treatments under the guidance of a doctor, which can lead to a cure.