Condoms

[manfa121]

Hey Scarleteen,

I was just wondering about condoms and their effectiveness. I've been practicing safe sex, but I've been keeping a condom in the inside pocket of my handbag for the past 6 months as a spare, it's not been near anything sharp, just maybe a lip gloss tin or two, is it okay for me to use or will the temperature change from going out and the movement have made it likely to break? Also, is it a good option for me to go on the pill as well as using a condom?

[Mo]

We have a good overview article about condoms here, that mentions things like effectiveness rates & proper storage: Condom Basics: A User's Manual

I'd say having your condom in your bag is fine as long as it's not being jostled around too much; is anything else in that inside pocket? The safest way would be to keep a condom or two in its own little pouch like a little coin purse or even an empty altoids-type tin. I have a little knitted sleeve I made to hold a few condoms in. As long as you aren't leaving the bag in a hot car for several hours, the temperature changes probably won't be extreme enough to damage the condom.

Ultimately, whether you want to use another form of birth control with condoms is up to you. We do suggest that using two forms of birth control is the way to be most-protected from pregnancy; if one method fails then you have another one working to pick up the slack. Plenty of people do use just one kind, though; it's up to what you're comfortable with and what access you have to other methods. We have an article about the effectiveness rates of two forms of bc at once here, for more data on that: The Buddy System: Effectiveness Rates for Backing Up Your Birth Control With a Second Method

[manfa121]

Thank you! That's great to know, I was just concerned as the temperature has been pretty low from time to time when I'm out with my bag. I keep the condom in a side pocket with things like tissues and lip gloss. It's good to know that it's fine to use, thank you!