If you do not want any sexually transmitted disease or unplanned pregnancy, it is best to use a condom for your protection and your partner’s. Here are five best tips for using a condom:
- Be immaculate with your handling
When it comes to the handling of the condom, you want to make sure that your hygiene is top-class.
What that means is, don’t be touching it with dirty hands – well, you really shouldn’t be having sex with dirty hands if you are going to use it during sex at all.
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention CDC is explicit on how to correctly handle your protective sheath.
It even has written “The Right Way to Use A Male (External) Condom”, that provides a step-by-step pictorial on what and what not to do with your condom.
It stresses that handling condoms properly protects you against STDs and HIV.
Dirty hands contain tons of bacteria that can be transferred to the genitals to then negatively impact the environment of either the penis or the vagina.
The same goes for handling your condom, if your hands are very dirty, it is better to clean them first before initiating sex at all.
The condom is attached to the male penis in which case, you know that men do not get infections down there as easily as women.
Women are more sensitive and can be prone to infection if the person they are having sex with is not clean.
Studies estimate that about 75% of men make mistakes when using a condom, even though most assume that using this protection is easy.
Get to know which mistakes to avoid when using condoms. This way you get the full protection that the rubber latex provides.
You could get further information by reading the “12 Common Mistakes When Using Condoms”.
It is vital to examine you condom before using it. The precaution helps you to avoid mistakes and to properly use this protection.
A Verywellhealth publication title “How to Use a Condom Correctly”, provides nine steps to follow when using a male condom. These are how to release air bubbles, unrolling, and withdrawal of used condom.
- When it breaks, take a break
When you are engaged in very rigorous sex, there is a chance that the condom might break during the process. In this case, it can be quite troublesome if you decide to cum inside.
But you can take measures to prevent condoms from tearing while having sex. Taking certain steps helps you to reduce the odds of condom damage.
A publication of Nemours TeensHealth lists ways in which you can avoid making these protections susceptible to damage. Be vigilant even during sex to monitor how a condom performs.
When you are in the middle of having sex, if you somehow feel that the condom might have broken, quickly take a break and pull your penis out to check on it. It is better to be safe than sorry.
When it comes down to being careful with the condom, everything relies on the man. The man will be able to feel it when the condom has ripped apart while inside the vagina.
The woman will not be able to tell, so please be mindful of this. To prevent condom breakage it is better to use a water-based lubricant. Water-based lubricant is also generally safer and feels nicer on the woman.
Sometimes though, this isn’t the situation. A minute incision on the latex isn’t visible. But you may realize that the condom is wet and notice semen leaking out.
This is a sign that the protection has been compromised. In the “Ask the Expert” category of Planned Parenthood publication, a concerned person asked what he should do if a condom breaks, and what a broken condom looks like.
Men more than women, can feel when a condom breaks, since there is an immediate change in sensation. Hence you need to know the difference to protect your partner.
The first thing is to stop the intimacy and inform your partner of the situation, according to a Planned Parenthood publication named “Can you tell when a condom rips or breaks during sex?”
- One-time policy
Do not ever, ever, ever wear a condom more than once. Even if it does not contain semen yet. Once you take it off, get rid of it (safely), and when you want to start a new session just take a new one.
Why is this the case? Well, this is the correct way to use it. You can’t reuse the condom after removing it from your penis, whether or not, you ejaculated.
If you attempt this move, its effectiveness diminishes. Besides, you expose yourself to the risk of slippage or leakage, as per the report titled “Please Do Not Wash Or Reuse Your Condoms” by CDC.
This is important for hygiene reasons and also you want to make sure that your condom will not rip in the middle of your second session, which can be very dangerous if you do not yet want any responsibility as a parent.
When getting rid of the condom, make sure you are careful enough to not spill any of the semen contained in it.
Condoms aren’t designed for recycling. A Healthline publication titled “You Shouldn’t Reuse a Condom – but If You Did, Here’s What to Do Next”, details various protective devices and how to handle them.
Some experts contend that women may reuse their internal condoms up to seven times. But this theory is still contentious.
Always have a box of tissues near where you are having sex so that you can quickly grab a couple of sheets to wrap the condom around before throwing it in the trash.
Don’t flush a used condom down the toilet to prevent trouble.
Reusing a male condom isn’t recommended. It fails in its core function of reducing the spread of STIs and unwanted pregnancies since its effectiveness diminishes. You can’t tell whether you have eliminated the viruses and sperms when you wear the same condom again, as per a 2020 Healthline publication.
- Proper handling
Any guy would think he knows perfectly well how to wrap a condom around his penis, but there are several teeny-weeny bits of detail he may have missed.
A WebMD publication dedicates a whole topic on “Condoms” to elaborate on how to handle this key barrier method of sexual protection.
The write-up states that condoms are only effective when handled properly. It provides types of condoms, how to use them, and tips related to their proper handling.
As such you should wear it only when your penis is already erect.
Or at least halfway there. It would be way too difficult to handle a condom when your penis is still flaccid so just get the thing ready around your bed or where ever you are having sex.
When you are hard enough and probably already super ready for sex itself, grab the condom and put it on – it would be better to use a lubricant first if you feel that your penis is not that wet yet to allow easy slip-on.
If your penis is uncircumcised, pull back the extra flap of skin first before slipping the condom on.
Then secure the base and make sure there is enough room for the tip of the condom to contain the semen.
Condoms provide you with 98% protection against unwanted pregnancies. But they are only useful in this area if you handle them correctly.
Follow the guideline provided in “How do I use a condom?” in an NHS publication reviewed last on 14 March 2022, to get a better grasp of how to use this protection.
But how do you know if you are handling the protection well? Well, you’ll feel that the condoms roll gently if they’re on the correct side. If it doesn’t., then remove and discard it.
Also, ensure there is space at the tip to collect the ejaculation fluid. Otherwise, it could cause the condom to burst, according to a March 14, 2023, Verywellhealth publication.
- Choose the right fit
Men come in different sizes, and so do the condoms. When buying a condom, make sure that you go with the size that is right for you.
The right size ensures that you enjoy sex while fully protected. It you pick a small size, it may create some discomfort or even bruises.
Similarly, an oversize condom wouldn’t hold in place and could slip during sex according to the Medical News Today titled “How to find the right condom size.”
This will make your experience a lot better and this is also important to prevent malfunction.
What that means is, say that for example, you have chosen a size that is too big for you, then the fitting will be loose and you run the risk of having the condom slip off during sex.
As men come in different sizes, there is no one-size-fits-all-condom. Using the right condom helps to prevent unwanted pregnancies and protects against STIs, besides enhancing the sexual experience.
This is as per January 20, 2021, edition of the Medical News Today publication, titled “How to find the right condom size”.
Meanwhile, if the condom size is too small for your penis, it’s a no-brainer, you run the risk of breaking the condom during usage which can have a life-long consequence if your partner becomes pregnant, or if you get STD.
To know what size of the condom is right for you, you can read the instructions and label it at the back of the box.
But if you are not sure which one would suit you, just grab what feels right and try it when you are masturbating.
A perfect-fit condom covers the entire penis length with a slight room on the tip. Some condoms have a sizing list that helps you to ensure they fit.
This is as per a report called, “How to choose the right fitting condom and materials to protect against STIs, and decreasing your risks of pregnancy” appearing in the Insider Review.
Bonus Tips Submitted By Viewers
- Insert before sex
Condoms are effective in preventing the spread of STIs. So knowing when to start using it is vital.
If you engage in penetrative sex before wearing the condom, you are likely to have contracted any viruses or bacteria before. Hence putting it on later doesn’t help.
Put on the condom immediately you are sufficiently erect, but before your penis contacts any body part of the partner.
Other guidelines are detailed in the “How do I use a condom?” write-up on an NHS publication
You may have the right condom but use it inappropriately. Thus you wouldn’t get the protection you seek from using it.
So when is the right time to insert the condom? Well, when you are ready to have sex, you should have a condom next to you.
You should insert a condom when you are erect but before your penis touches any part of your partner. This precaution helps since pre-ejaculatory fluid, which comes from the penis, may contain HIV.
The above details are found in a research paper, “Tips for using condoms and dental dams” appearing in the US Department of Veteran Affairs publication.
You could start with foreplay and another pleasuring that doesn’t involve penetration. Stimulation is essential to growing your penis.
Once you are fully erect and your partner is aroused for penetration, pick up the condom and insert it into your penis.
The right way is to tear the pack carefully and hold the lubricated side outside of the penis tip. Gently squeeze the condom tip to extract all air that could get trapped inside.
An NHS publication provides reasons why you should wear a condom before penetration via a guideline titled “Condom Tips”.
Use two fingers of one hand to hold the tip, and use the other hand to roll the condom down your erect shaft. Ensure that it rolls down to the penis base.
Only after this should you attempt to penetrate your partner.
- Avoid some stuff
To ensure that the condom works well, you need to know what to do to avoid unpleasant experiences with condoms. These include condom breaking, and unrolling when you are thrusting.
There are various condoms, including animal skin protection. While these variants protect against pregnancies, they don’t insulate you against STIs.
Thus avoid using natural condoms as per a PDF pamphlet developed by CDC for Teens and aptly titled “It’s Your Future, You Can Protect It.”
The leading cause of condom breakage is using lubricants. But some forms of lubrication distort the rubber structure of the condom, causing it to disintegrate.
Using additional spermicide could increase a condom’s conceptive effects and prevention against infections. But using oil-based lubrication increases the chances of condoms breaking up.
A PubMed Advanced Publication study “Does additional lubrication reduce condom failure?” found that 83.4% of females seeking fortified protection in addition to condom use experienced condom failure. But using water-based lubricant reduced the failure rate.
Lubes containing petroleum products, oil-based creams, lotions, and gels distort the rubber fabric quickly. Use water-based lubricants instead.
Using a pair of scissors or your teeth is yet another way that split the condom. These sharp implements could poke a tiny incision in the rubber.
You may not note these holes when inserting the condom. But as you start to thrust, the friction causes the weak spots to rapture, tearing the condom or causing it to coil up the penis shaft.
In case you are carried away, you wouldn’t notice this issue until you are done.
A Healthline publication, “What Should I Do If the Condom Broke” states what steps you should take in the event of a condom breakage.
It gives you the options you face in this situation and how to intervene to protect against pregnancies and infections. It also provides remedial measures to safeguard against future condom breaking.
