Birth Control

Condom

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What are condoms? Condoms might be right for you if… How do you use condoms? How much do condoms cost? What are the side effects and benefits of condoms? Where can you get condoms?

What are condoms?

External condoms, which are usually just called condoms, are one type of barrier method of birth control, which means that they prevent pregnancy by physically blocking sperm from getting to eggs. Condoms fit snugly over the penis so that when ejaculation happens, the semen (the whitish fluid that contains sperm) stays inside the condom and out of the vagina, which keeps sperm away from any eggs. Each condom can only be used one time.

Condoms are one of the most popular forms of birth control out there, and there are lots of types made of different materials, in different sizes, with lube and without, and in different colors, flavors, and textures. There are also internal condoms, which are placed inside the vagina instead of being placed over the penis.

Condoms and internal condoms are the only kinds of birth control that help prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) as well as preventing pregnancy. But not all condoms are effective against STIs. Natural membrane condoms, sometimes called lambskin or natural skin condoms, are the one type of condom that does not prevent STIs. Natural membrane condoms are not as commonly used, but they are one of the condom options that are safe for people with latex allergies.

Quick Facts

Very effective if you use them correctly, but not super effective the way most people use them. Hormone free, protect against STIs, and don't require a prescription, but they do require work.

Effectiveness

Condoms are pretty effective the way most people use them.

Perfect use: 98% effective

Typical use: 87% effective

What are perfect use and typical use?
Hormones

Condoms are hormone-free.
Side effects

If you’re sensitive, they could cause a little irritation. They may reduce sensation slightly when you’re having sex.
Cost

Available for free at many clinics. Otherwise, around $1 each, but the price varies.
STI protection

Condoms can offer STI protection as well as pregnancy prevention.
Ongoing effort

You have to make sure to use condoms correctly every time in order for them to be effective at preventing pregnancy and STIs.

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Condoms might be right for you if…

You want birth control without hormones.

If you are looking for pregnancy prevention but don’t want to use hormones, condoms may be a good option for you.

You’re willing to put in some effort before having sex, every single time.

In order for condoms to work, you have to use them correctly, every time, no matter what.

If you do use them perfectly (exactly how the instructions say to use them) every single time you have penis-in-vagina sex, condoms are very effective at preventing pregnancy. With perfect use, condoms are 98% effective, which means that, on average, two out of every 100 people using condoms perfectly for a year will get pregnant.

The problem is that most people have trouble using condoms perfectly every time they have sex. The effectiveness of condoms with typical use, which means how real people use them in real life, is more relevant for most people than their effectiveness with perfect use. With typical use, condoms are 87% effective at preventing pregnancy. That means that, on average, 13 out of every 100 people using condoms for a year (not perfectly, but in the way people typically use them) will get pregnant. And of course, if you don’t use a condom at all when you have sex, then it’s 0% effective at preventing pregnancy.

Because condoms are hard to use perfectly every time, and because their effectiveness is so much lower when they’re not used perfectly every time, condoms are not considered one of the most effective methods of birth control out there. They can be used with any other method of birth control except internal condoms to further lower your chances of pregnancy.

You want protection from STIs.

One of the best things about most types of condoms is that they help protect you against sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. Natural membrane or lambskin condoms, however, are the one type that don’t offer STI protection—they are able to block sperm from passing through them, but the super tiny particles that cause infections can pass through them.

You don’t need to hide your method.

It’s not easy to hide that you’re using condoms. While you may be able to hide them from people you live with, condoms do have to be thrown in the trash along with their wrappers after you use them, so if people you live with can see or access your trash, they may find out you’re using condoms.

It’s not possible to hide that you’re using condoms from a sexual partner with a penis, since they will have to agree to put a condom on their body. And partners with a vagina will probably be able to see and/or feel that you are wearing a condom.

You want a method that is easy to get.

You can find condoms in lots of places, from convenience stores to health centers to supermarkets. You can sometimes get free ones from places like bars. You can also get them online, including from Amazon, although waiting for shipping isn’t going to work if you need a condom for tonight. But it’s a good idea to stock up so you have them when you need them (just don’t buy so many that they expire before you can use them).

You want a method that you can stop without help from a provider.

Condoms don’t require a prescription or a visit to a provider, so you can start and stop using them whenever you want. Just remember that if you want to stop using condoms but don’t want to be pregnant, you’ll need to start using a different form of birth control right away.

You want a method that won’t affect your future fertility.

The only birth control method that permanently affects your fertility is sterilization. A condom does not affect your ability to get pregnant after you or your partner take it off. That’s why you have to use a condom every time you have sex—because they don’t give you any lasting protection against pregnancy.

You’re in between methods or made a mistake with your usual method.

Condoms are great in a pinch. If you don’t make it to the pharmacy for your pill refill on time, or you realize you’ve missed a pill (or missed a step with another form of hormonal birth control), you can always use a condom. For mistakes with hormonal birth control methods, as well as when you start on a hormonal birth control method, you may need to use condoms or another backup form of birth control for 7 days, so check with a provider or read the instructions that came with your hormonal method.

You may also want to use emergency contraception if you make a mistake with your birth control and then have unprotected sex.

How do you use condoms?

Once you get the hang of it, condoms are pretty easy to use, but it can take some practice to get there. And even experienced users make mistakes, so it’s good to refresh your memory on the correct way to use them once in a while.

The most important thing to remember is that if you’re relying on condoms for pregnancy and/or STI prevention, you have to use them every single time you have sex.

How to put a condom on:

Before you use a condom, check the expiration date. Just like medications or food, condoms can go bad. And condoms that are past their expiration date are more likely to break, which makes them ineffective.
When the penis is fully erect (hard), open the condom. It’s easy to tear it if you use your teeth to open it, so use your fingers. Feel for where the condom is inside the wrapper and carefully tear the wrapper so that you don’t damage the condom itself. When you open the wrapper, if the condom inside is torn, or if it feels brittle or stiff, toss it and use a new one. Just like with the things in the back of your refrigerator, a good rule to follow is: when in doubt, throw it out.
Check to see if the condom is right side out. It will look like a flat circle with the tip of the condom sticking up. The rolled up part of the condom should be on the outside so that you can easily unroll it as you put it on the penis. If the rolled up part is on the inside, you won’t be able to roll it down the penis easily. If you ever realize that you put on a condom inside out, take it off and put on a new one.
Put a drop or two of water- or silicone-based lube inside the condom (but not more than that, and not oil-based lube as it can cause condoms to break). It can help the condom slide on and can make things more pleasurable for the person with a penis.
Pinch the air out of the tip. Hold it. This leaves space at the tip of the condom for the semen to collect when the person wearing the condom ejaculates (cums).
Still holding the tip of the condom with one hand, place the rolled-up condom over the tip of the penis. (If the penis is uncircumcised, pull back the foreskin before rolling on the condom.) With the other hand, unroll the condom over the penis as you slide your hand towards the base of the penis, as far as it will go. Condoms do NOT go over the testicles.
Check the fit of the condom. It should fit sort of like skin-tight but comfortable leggings. If the penis is fully erect but the condom is loose, or if there’s a lot of rolled-up condom at the base of the penis, the condom is probably too big, making it more likely to come off during sex. If the condom has been fully unrolled onto the penis but there isn’t enough material to cover the whole penis, or if the rolled-up end is cutting off blood flow at the base of the penis, the condom is too small, making it more likely to break during sex.
Smooth out any air bubbles that you can see trapped between the penis and the condom—they can cause condoms to break.
Add lube to the outside of the condom if you want, to make putting the penis inside the vagina more comfortable for the person with the vagina. Using lube on the outside of the condom can also reduce the chances of the condom breaking.

How to take a condom off:

After ejaculating, make sure to pull the penis out of the vagina before the penis becomes soft.
Hold on to the base of the condom (the part closest to the belly) while pulling the penis out of the vagina. This will help make sure that semen doesn’t spill out of the condom.
Once the penis is outside the vagina and away from the vulva, take off the condom. It may be messy so it’s a good idea to have something to clean up with nearby when you take it off.
Tie the condom in a knot so the semen can’t spill out, then throw it away in a trash can (preferably one that is out of the reach of children and pets). Condoms are not flushable.
Make sure the partner with a penis washes their penis with soap and water if it’s going to come into contact with the vulva again.

Some tips for using condoms:

Always put a condom on before the penis ever touches the vulva. (The vulva is all the sexual parts that are on the outside of the body, including the clitoris and the inner and outer labia. The vagina is on the inside—you can’t see it. It’s the stretchy tube that connects the uterus to the outside of the body.) Pre-cum—the fluid that sometimes leaks from a penis before ejaculation—can contain sperm from the last ejaculation. Putting the condom on before the penis touches the vulva (or anus or mouth) also helps prevent STIs that are spread by skin-to-skin contact.
Don’t use two condoms at once (sometimes called double bagging). You might think using two condoms would double your protection, but it doesn’t—in fact, it makes it more likely that both condoms will break, making them ineffective.
Don’t use an internal condom and an external condom at the same time. Just pick one every time you have sex.
Use one condom per erection. If you put a condom on when the penis is hard, and then it becomes soft with that condom still on, the condom may no longer fit correctly when the penis gets hard again—and fitting well is key to its doing its job.
Use one condom per ejaculation. You will need a brand new condom if you want to keep having penis-in-vagina sex after the person with a penis ejaculates. Never rinse out a condom and reuse it—this can make it not work as well.
Put on a new condom if you switch between types of sex, even if you haven’t ejaculated. That means that you will need a new condom if you are switching from oral to vaginal sex, anal to oral sex, or anal to vaginal sex, for example.

Some tips for using condoms made of different materials:

Latex Condoms

These are the most commonly used condoms. Make sure not to use them with oil-based lube, which includes massage oil, coconut oil, some lotions, and petroleum jelly. Oil-based lube can cause latex condoms to break. Use water-based or silicone-based lube instead.

Non-latex Condoms

If you’re allergic to latex, these may be for you. They’re usually made from polyurethane, polyisoprene, or other synthetic materials, and they’re just as good at protecting you from STIs as latex condoms are. Most kinds of non-latex condoms cannot be used safely with oil-based lube because it can cause them to break. So your best bet will be water-based or silicone-based lube.

Spermicidal Condoms

These condoms are lubricated with a chemical that kills sperm. Even though spermicide on its own can prevent pregnancy, spermicidal condoms aren’t actually any better than non-spermicidal condoms at preventing pregnancy. And if the spermicide used is nonoxynol-9, keep in mind that it may cause irritation, which increases the risk of getting HIV and other STIs. It can also increase the risk of urinary tract infections.

Natural membrane condoms

These are sometimes called lambskin condoms. They are the only type of condom that does not prevent STIs. Natural membrane condoms are not as commonly used, but they are one of the condom options that are safe for people with latex allergies. Oil-based lube is okay to use with natural membrane condoms—they’re not broken down by the oils.

How much do condoms cost?

Most insurance will not cover condoms. If you have a Flexible Spending Account through your workplace, you may be able to save a little bit of money by using it to pay for condoms.

Condoms come in a variety of materials, shapes, sizes, colors, and textures, and prices vary depending on which kind you get. Most basic condoms cost around a dollar each, but condoms of different sizes, appearances, and materials might cost more.

If you need help covering the cost of condoms, there may be options. Check with your local family planning clinics and find out if they offer free or low-cost condoms and other kinds of birth control (most do). Depending where you live, there may be other places where you can find free condoms.

What are the side effects and benefits of condoms?

There are positives and negatives about each and every method of birth control. And everyone’s different—so what you experience may not be the same as what your friend experiences.

The Positive

Here are some of the benefits of condoms:

Most kinds protect against STIs, including HIV.
No prescription needed.
Available in lots of places, sometimes for free.
You only have to deal with your birth control when you have sex—there’s no pill to remember to take every day.

The Negative

It’s normal to worry about negative side effects, but for many people, they’re not a problem. Potential side effects include:

Latex allergy. Only one or two out of every 100 people are allergic, but if you happen to be one of them, you can always use a non-latex condom instead.
Sensitivity to certain brands of lubricant. If the lube is causing irritation of any kind, try another kind.

In addition to potential side effects, there are be some disadvantages to using condoms for some people:

Some people with penises say that condoms reduce feeling during sex.
You have to interrupt sex to put on a condom.

Where can you get condoms?

You can buy condoms at all kinds of places—like drug stores, supermarkets, convenience stores, and gas stations. You can get them for free at some clinics and even some bars and clubs.

You can also buy condoms online from vendors like Amazon, Walmart, and Target, plus specialty condom stores like Condomania and Condom Jungle.