Abstinence

Statistics

 * First Used: ?
 * Duration: Subjective permenanent
 * Implementation: Subjective experience & personality
 * Effectiveness: 100% (0/100) (Theoretically)
 * Costs: No Up-Front Monetary Costs
 * STI Protection: 100% (Theoretically)

History
The paternity question was (and sometimes still is) a main reason as to why women were expected to be abstinent after menarche. Their husbands needed to be sure that the child was his. This has also caused some of the hype about virgin brides (and by default, women being abstinent in general).

In the 1870s abstinence for birth control within marriage was advocated to control the size of their families. This is thought to have caused men to seek sex elsewhere, and not be very scrupulous about it (making STIs skyrocket, in addition to the fact that other birth control methods that are better at preventing STIs were frowned upon/illegal/non-existant at the time). In 1885 a movement started dedicated to make men follow the same sexual standards women were made to follow. Specifically, making men abide by abstinence.

Today, teen abstinence is sometimes argued as the most effective way to prevent teen pregnancy, although it has been shown that the use/education of other birth control methods is more effective than abstinence only education.

Description
You may have heard people talk about abstinence in different ways. Some people think of abstinence as not having vaginal intercourse, but engaging in other acitivies that don't lead to pregnancy; this can be refered to as outercourse. Some also define abstinence as not having any kind of sex play with a partner. This is the definition we use on these pages. (Abstinence, 2013)

Effects
Effectiveness:
 * 100% effective

Benefits:
 * no pregnancy
 * no STDS

Disadvantages:
 * it is hard for some people to remain abstinent.

Jump
Back — Forward

Main