Condoms

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Important tips

• Make sure condoms are available and conveniently located. If no condoms are handy at the time of a sexual encounter, you may be tempted to have intercourse without one.
• Immediately after ejaculation make sure the penis is carefully withdrawn so that semen cannot leak out of the condom as the erection is lost.
• Do not carry condoms in your wallet for long periods of time. Replace them every once in a while. Friction from opening and closing your wallet, and from walking (if you carry your wallet in your pocket) can cause tiny holes to develop in the condom. Nevertheless, it is better to use a condom that has been in your wallet for a long time than to not use one at all.
• Don't use a condom that is brittle, sticky, or discolored. These are signs of age, and old condoms are more likely to break.
• If a condom package is damaged, don't use the condom because it also may be damaged.
• Use each condom only once.
• Do not use a petroleum-based substance such as Vaseline as a lubricant. These substances break down latex. (They also promote yeast infections in women.)
• If you feel a condom break during intercourse, stop immediately and put a new one on. Remember, ejaculation does not have to occur for a pregnancy to result (pre-ejaculatory fluids can contain active sperm), or for a disease to be transmitted.
• If ejaculation occurs with a broken condom, insert a nonoxynol-9 foam or jelly to help reduce the risk of pregnancy or STD transmission.
• Store condoms in a cool, dry place away from sunlight and heat.