Condoms can help protect you from HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, and they also reduce the risk of pregnancy. While the only reliable way to eliminate your risk of acquiring a sexually transmitted disease is to practice abstinence or remain in a monogamous relationship with a partner who is disease-free, condoms are the next best option, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To reduce your risk of disease and unplanned pregnancy as much as possible, you must use and store condoms properly.
Step 1
Check the expiration date before you use a condom. You can find the expiration date on the outside of a box of condoms or on an individual condom package. Old condoms may be weak and more likely to break, warns the American Social Health Association.
Step 2
Put on a new condom every time you have any type of intercourse, warns the CDC. This means you must wear a new condom for every instance of vaginal, oral or anal sex, even if you and your partner switch from one type of intercourse to another in the same session.
Step 3
Open the condom package carefully, and make sure the condom does not appear dry and sticky or have any obvious holes. Unroll the condom over your erect penis until the entire penis is covered. Be sure to do this before any genital contact occurs. If the condom does not have a reservoir at the tip for semen collection, pinch the tip to create a half-inch reservoir while you unroll it, recommends the CDC.
Step 4
Withdraw from your partner immediately after ejaculation, and hold the condom in place at the base of your penis while you withdraw. Carefully pull the condom off your penis so no semen is spilled, and then wrap it in a tissue and throw it away.
Step 5
Store condoms correctly. Never store condoms in a hot place, such as a vehicle or wallet, because heat can cause latex to break down. The Food and Drug Administration recommends that you keep condoms in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight. However, it is okay to store a condom in a roomy pocket, wallet or purse for a few hours, according to the FDA.
Tips and Warnings
- Buy only latex condoms that are designed to prevent disease. Other materials, such as lambskin, may not be effective, warns the FDA. Make sure the package states that the condom is designed for disease prevention; some novelty condoms are not designed to prevent disease or pregnancy, according to the FDA. If you purchase condoms that are not lubricated, or if you need more lubrication to prevent friction that might weaken a condom during vaginal or anal sex, use a water-based lubricant. Oil-based lubricants can damage condoms, according to the FDA. According to the American Social Health Association, condoms lubricated with spermicide may cause skin irritation that can increase the risk of disease transmission. The FDA warns that spermicide is only effective for helping prevent pregnancy; it is not effective at preventing disease.
- Condoms cannot completely eliminate the risk of pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases, but they can greatly reduce the risk when used correctly. Condoms are not 100 percent effective as birth control, but they do considerably reduce the risk of pregnancy. Even with proper condom use, about 1 in 50 couples will conceive over the course of a year, according to the Mayo Clinic. Condoms may be more likely to break during anal intercourse, according to the FDA. If you have anal intercourse, you should still use them to reduce the risk of disease transmission. Never use sharp objects to open a condom package to avoid tearing the condom.
