Condom protection

[smoore188]

I have a few questions about condoms to ask.

I had intercourse with a condom on the whole time.. Never without one. After my partner ejaculated and we were finished (so he wasn't still in me or anything) he pulled the condom tight to check for holes.. I have never heard of someone doing that to check for breakage. But he said he pulled it really tight and that if there would have been a hole that the condom would have broke completely. He also said nothing leaked out. Was i protected by the condom? Was he right that if it would have had a hole that it would have broke more? And also I've heard of there being a tiny, unnoticeable hole, if there was wouldn't the friction during intercourse cause the hole to get bigger?

[Redskies]

If you used a condom for all genital-to-genital contact, then yes, you can assume it did its job. There isn't really a need to pull them tight to look for holes, because if a condom breaks, it'll be obvious - and yes, the friction of intercourse will make any break very big very quickly.

It sounds like you'd benefit from some information on condom effectiveness and correct usage: check out Condoms and Condom Basics: A User's Manual. Is there anything else you'd like to know that those don't fill in for you?

[smoore188]

So when taking the condom off you would know if it failed without really checking it or filling it with water or whatever?

[Mo]

Yep! If you just look at it as you're taking it off, and it seems intact, there's no reason to do anything else, and you can trust that it worked just fine. Especially filling it with water - that's something we often hear people discuss as a way to test for leaks, but because condoms aren't designed to hold a significant amount of water, it's possible for the act of filling it up to cause a break, which just adds unnecessary stress.

[smoore188]

Thank you so much!

[Mo]

You're quite welcome!

[smoore188]

Hi I have one more question. I know you said that if a condom had a tiny, unnoticeable hole in it before the sex.. Possibly manufactured error or user error.. That it would grow larger during the intercourse. So really there is no reason to worry that there would be a small hole that you couldn't see? Unless the hole was created when the condom was taken off.

[Heather]

A hole being there before a condom is even used is incredibly unlileky unless the condom was not stored properly. Condoms are put through incredibly rigorous testing when manufactured, so that kind of error is beyond unlikely.

And they're made of incredibly thin material. Ever get a run in a stocking? Not tights: stockings. If so, you know how the teeniest snag turns into a big run really fast. The same is even more true here: if a condom is going to break, it's going to break, and a user isn't going to have time where there's going to be a tiny hole, then a while until it breaks.

But it sounds to me like you might not feel comfortable using condoms alone: that's fine, plenty of people don't. Want to talk about how to seek out a second method of contraception?

[smoore188]

I'm actually on birth control pills now but I had to take an antibiotic and i wasn't sure if I had been off of the antibiotic long enough when I had intercourse (with the condom) for my birth control to be enough protection

[Heather]

Current studies on most antibiotics and hormonal methods do NOT find they create effectiveness issues. Plus, even if they do, that's not a pill-is-all-effective pill-isn't-at-all effective situation, but, instead, some *possible* slight reduction of effectiveness, that's all.

[smoore188]

I was under the impression that the antibiotic made the birth control completely ineffective

[Heather]

Nope, that's not true and never has been. And if you get your pill prescription filled the same place you get any other medication, know that when a pharmacist fills any new prescription, your pill prescription comes up, so if anything may or will interact with it, they will usually let you know.

[smoore188]

Thank you for answering my questions. I just wasn't sure if a condom could break and you not know it.

[Heather]

If it's on the penis inside the body, and no one is looking, yes. (This is the irony of people saying condoms make them unable to feel intercourse: if that was true, feeling a break would be easy as pie, when, in fact, almost no one does on the penis-side of things.) But when the penis with the condom on it is outside the body, it's very easy to tell if a condom is intact or broken.

And, of course, condoms very rarely break in proper use, anyway.

[smoore188]

I was wondering just out of curiosity.. How easy is it for semen to get to the top of the condom and leak out?

[Karyn]

Not at all: condoms are designed specifically so that that doesn't happen. They work because they're intended to keep all semen inside the condom, and unless they break or come off, that's what they do.

[smoore188]

Hi again!

I know anytime you have intercourse you put yourself at a chance of becoming pregnant but do you think from my situation I'm pregnant? The only reason I'm asking is because Im not expecting my period for two more days and earlier I had some light pink bleeding when I wiped.. Could this be implantation bleeding?

[Eddie C]

The only reliable way to know if someone is pregnant or not is by taking a pregnancy test. If you are interested in taking one, you can do that once you have a missing period, or 14 days after the risk. You can have more info about testing, here: http://www.scarleteen.com/article/pregn ... ancy_tests

You have had some other volunteers talking to you about this situation and it looks like you are still having a lot of anxiety around this and I'm sorry you feel that way. Sometimes, when people feel this anxious means that they are not feeling completely comfortable with the level of risk they are taking. If this sounds like what you are feeling, maybe is time to take a break and slow down from the activities you are doing until you figure it out what you need to feel more safe and comfortable.

[smoore188]

It's actually been 22 days since the time I had intercourse but not time for my period yet.. Does it matter if it's not time for my period yet?

[Sam W]

If you're wondering when or how to test, the best thing to consult is the directions for the specific test that you end up buying (if you choose to do so).

As Edith mentioned, if this stress seems to be an ongoing thing, it may be time to talk to your partner about adjusting the sexual things you do to ones where you are comfortable with any risks involved. Would you like some articles on how to do that?

[smoore188]

No thank you though. What I was asking is if my test would be accurate being 22 days since intercourse (since she said 14 days after) or if I would have to wait until my missed period? I didn't know if the missed period made the difference.

[Eddie C]

Sorry my response wasn't very clear. Usually you can test when you have a missing period *or* 14 days after the risk, whatever comes first.

After 22 days of the risk is sound to say that the results will be accurate but, as Sam said, really the best thing to do is to follow the instructions of the test you are going to buy. The thing about pregnancy tests is that some brands have their very own specifications. Some will tell you you can test before a missing period and some after, that's why we always advise to follow the instructions that come with the box.