10 Ways to Prevent Condom Failure

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsPreventing Condom FailureEfficacyOther ConsiderationsFrequently Asked Questions

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Preventing Condom Failure

Efficacy

Other Considerations

Frequently Asked Questions

Condoms are among the most effective ways to prevent pregnancy and lower the risk ofsexually transmitted infections(STIs). If you use them correctly, condoms offer protection during vaginal, oral, and anal sex.

However, condom failure can happen for a variety of reasons including:

This article reviews the reasons why a condom may not be effective and how to use a condom the right way to prevent condom failure.

Proper Condom Use

Proper condom use isn’t limited to the time you’re having sex. It starts from the moment you buy the condom and ends when you dispose of it.

To prevent condom failure, there are 10 things you need to do.

1: Buy the Right-Sized Condom

To get the right size condom, measure your penis while it’s erect. This will help you make sure you have the right length, width, and girth. You can match the measurements to thesizing charton the condom box.

While there are many brands of condoms to choose from, you may find that big-name brands like Durex, Lifestyles, and Trojan offer the widest variety of types and sizes, which will make it easier to find the condom that’s the best fit for you.

2: Buy the Right Lubricant

Always usewater-based or silicone-based lubewithlatex condoms.

3: Store the Condom at the Right Temperature

You should not store condoms at temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (F) or less than 32 degrees F. Keep condoms out of direct sunlight, and never store them in the glove compartment of your car.

4: Check the Expiration Date

If the condom is expired, throw it out—no exceptions. There’s no guarantee of how effective it will be if it’s past the expiration date.

5: Remove the Condom From Its Packet Carefully

Tears often happen when rushing and ripping the condom package with your teeth. To avoid this, use nail scissors instead.

6: Learn How to Put Condoms on Correctly

Know what side of the condom is up and how to roll it on correctly with an open reservoir tip (the part at the end that collects ejaculate).

Don’t wait until the last minute tolearn how to use a condom. Practice alone or with your partner to get it right before sex.

7: Use Plenty of Personal Lubrication

A condom can tear if there’s a lot of friction during sex.

8: Remove the Condom Soon After Ejaculation

If you don’t take a condom off right away, your penis can shrink, and the condom can slip off as you pull out. This can spill sperm into the vagina or rectum.

After ejaculating, carefully pull out and remove the condom. Tie up the end to prevent it from spilling and throw it away.

9: Don’t Reuse Condoms

Even if you want to have sex again with the same partner, resist the temptation to reuse a condom. There could also be ejaculation on the outside of the condom.

Plus, a used condom is more likely to burst.

10: Use Condoms Consistently

Don’t let anyone talk you out of using condoms or suggest quitting early is safe. If you don’t have condoms, you can wait until another time or engage in safer sex practices like mutual masturbation.

How Effective Are Condoms?

Studies have shown that the typical use of external condoms can still have a 14% failure rate.

However, when you use external condoms properly, they are 97% effective at preventing pregnancy and STIs, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the rate of condom failure is 13% with typical (real-world) use. This means that 13 out of every 100 couples who use only condoms for birth control will become pregnant after one year.

With perfect use—meaning using condoms correctly with every episode of sexual intercourse—the failure rate is closer to 2%.

While the failure rate of external condoms is 13% with typical use, the failure rate of other forms of birth control are:

It’s also good to know what condoms can’t effectively protect you from.

Moreover, the typical use of condoms is 80% effective in preventing HIV transmission during vaginal sex and 70% during anal sex.For more protection, someone with HIV should be onantiretroviral therapyto lower the chance of spreading their infection to their sexual partners.

At the same time, their partners who don’t have HIV should consider takingpre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). This will help lower their chance of infection.

5 STIs and STDs That Condoms Don’t Always Prevent

Summary

Using condoms correctly can help prevent pregnancy and lower the risk of getting a sexually transmitted infection (STI).

However, keep in mind that certain factors can lead to condom failure, like using expired condoms, storing them at the wrong temperature, or using an oil-based lubricant.

Frequently Asked QuestionsIf a condom breaks or slips off during sex, stop immediately, withdraw the penis, and put on a new condom.If there is a risk of pregnancy, you can get anemergency contraceptiveto be started within five days.If there is a risk of HIV, start a 28-day course ofpost-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)within 72 hours of exposure.Learn MoreSafe Sex for Women Who Don’t Use Condoms

If a condom breaks or slips off during sex, stop immediately, withdraw the penis, and put on a new condom.If there is a risk of pregnancy, you can get anemergency contraceptiveto be started within five days.If there is a risk of HIV, start a 28-day course ofpost-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)within 72 hours of exposure.Learn MoreSafe Sex for Women Who Don’t Use Condoms

If a condom breaks or slips off during sex, stop immediately, withdraw the penis, and put on a new condom.If there is a risk of pregnancy, you can get anemergency contraceptiveto be started within five days.If there is a risk of HIV, start a 28-day course ofpost-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)within 72 hours of exposure.

If a condom breaks or slips off during sex, stop immediately, withdraw the penis, and put on a new condom.

If there is a risk of pregnancy, you can get anemergency contraceptiveto be started within five days.

If there is a risk of HIV, start a 28-day course ofpost-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)within 72 hours of exposure.

Learn MoreSafe Sex for Women Who Don’t Use Condoms

12 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Condom effectiveness.Planned Parenthood.How do you use lube with condoms?.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Division of Reproductive Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.Contraception.Marfatia YS, Pandya I, Mehta K.Condoms: past, present, and future.Indian J Sex Transm Dis AIDS. 2015 Jul-Dec;36(2):133-9. doi:10.4103/2589-0557.167135Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Contraception: birth control methods.Planned Parenthood.How effective are condoms?Martin ET, Krantz E, Gottlieb SL, et al.A pooled analysis of the effect of condoms in preventing HSV-2 acquisition.Arch Intern Med.2009;169(13):1233-40. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2009.177United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).Condom and lubricant programming in high HIV prevalence countries.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).HIV: How can I protect my partners?.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.It’s your future. You can protect it.American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Emergency contraception.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Updated guidelines for antiretroviral postexposure prophylaxis after sexual, injecting drug use, or other nonoccupational exposure to HIV—United States, 2016.

12 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Condom effectiveness.Planned Parenthood.How do you use lube with condoms?.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Division of Reproductive Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.Contraception.Marfatia YS, Pandya I, Mehta K.Condoms: past, present, and future.Indian J Sex Transm Dis AIDS. 2015 Jul-Dec;36(2):133-9. doi:10.4103/2589-0557.167135Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Contraception: birth control methods.Planned Parenthood.How effective are condoms?Martin ET, Krantz E, Gottlieb SL, et al.A pooled analysis of the effect of condoms in preventing HSV-2 acquisition.Arch Intern Med.2009;169(13):1233-40. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2009.177United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).Condom and lubricant programming in high HIV prevalence countries.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).HIV: How can I protect my partners?.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.It’s your future. You can protect it.American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Emergency contraception.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Updated guidelines for antiretroviral postexposure prophylaxis after sexual, injecting drug use, or other nonoccupational exposure to HIV—United States, 2016.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Condom effectiveness.Planned Parenthood.How do you use lube with condoms?.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Division of Reproductive Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.Contraception.Marfatia YS, Pandya I, Mehta K.Condoms: past, present, and future.Indian J Sex Transm Dis AIDS. 2015 Jul-Dec;36(2):133-9. doi:10.4103/2589-0557.167135Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Contraception: birth control methods.Planned Parenthood.How effective are condoms?Martin ET, Krantz E, Gottlieb SL, et al.A pooled analysis of the effect of condoms in preventing HSV-2 acquisition.Arch Intern Med.2009;169(13):1233-40. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2009.177United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).Condom and lubricant programming in high HIV prevalence countries.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).HIV: How can I protect my partners?.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.It’s your future. You can protect it.American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Emergency contraception.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Updated guidelines for antiretroviral postexposure prophylaxis after sexual, injecting drug use, or other nonoccupational exposure to HIV—United States, 2016.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Condom effectiveness.

Planned Parenthood.How do you use lube with condoms?.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Division of Reproductive Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.Contraception.

Marfatia YS, Pandya I, Mehta K.Condoms: past, present, and future.Indian J Sex Transm Dis AIDS. 2015 Jul-Dec;36(2):133-9. doi:10.4103/2589-0557.167135

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Contraception: birth control methods.

Planned Parenthood.How effective are condoms?

Martin ET, Krantz E, Gottlieb SL, et al.A pooled analysis of the effect of condoms in preventing HSV-2 acquisition.Arch Intern Med.2009;169(13):1233-40. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2009.177

United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).Condom and lubricant programming in high HIV prevalence countries.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).HIV: How can I protect my partners?.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.It’s your future. You can protect it.

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Emergency contraception.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Updated guidelines for antiretroviral postexposure prophylaxis after sexual, injecting drug use, or other nonoccupational exposure to HIV—United States, 2016.

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