Problems with condoms

What if there’s an accident with the condom?

If you're condom breaks or slips off during sex then there's three risks that you might be facing:-

• One of you might become pregnant - if you need emergency contraception you can get it from some general practices, genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics, NHS walk-in centres, hospital Accident and Emergency departments and pharmacies (pharmacies may have age restrictions and will charge). Contact THT Direct if you're having trouble accessing emergency contraception.
• You might have caught a sexually transmitted infection - to know for sure you'll need to be tested. Some STIs have few visible symptoms and most are easily treated - so it's worth being checked. Find your nearest testing centre here.
• One of you might have exposed the other to HIV - in which case you might be able to stop the infection taking hold by using PEP.

Remember just because a condom has failed it doesn't neccessarily mean these things have happened - but it's always better to find out because if something has happened then there's things you can do. Some of this action needs to be taken quickly in order to work so it's best to act as soon as you can. Doing nothing is the worst course to take - it will only narrow your options later.

We're here to give you options and help you take the action that you've decided on - whatever that might be.

If you need support or just want to talk through the issues call THT Direct on 0845 1221 200 and talk to one of our advisers.

Other problems and questions about condoms

• Should one condom be worn on top of another? - No. Friction from two condoms rubbing against each other makes them more likely to break.
• Should a condom be worn for oral sex? - Sexually transmitted infections can be passed on during oral sex, and some people have got HIV from performing oral sex on someone with HIV. So a person wanting to reduce risk as much as possible might decide to use condoms for oral sex. Flavoured ones taste better for this. You can find more information about the risks from the Oral sex and HIV pages.
• What made the condom come off? - Friction can pull a condom off if not enough lubricant is used or perhaps lube has got underneath the condom and made it slip off. It could be that a tighter fit condom is needed. A condom only rolled half way down the penis is more likely to be pulled off. Straight after the man has ejaculated, hold the condom at its base as the penis is pulled out – this stops the condom coming off inside the other person.
• Am I holding the condom the right way round? - Put it on your finger, if it starts to roll down easily, it’s on correctly. If not, take off and put on the other way round.
• How can we stop the condom from making him lose his erection? - These strategies might help; holding the base of the penis to stop blood leaving it, wearing a ‘cock ring’ or the other person putting the condom on for him.
• Putting a condom on hurts - Try a larger condom (Avanti condoms are the biggest and least tight). Or unroll the condom first, then with thumbs inside the condom, stretch it open and put it over the head of the penis like a sock over a foot. Then roll down as normal. Some find this helpful but beware: stretching condoms and air trapped inside them makes them more likely to come off or break.
• The condom gets stuck as it’s rolled down the penis - Roll it back up the penis, then roll down again.