Condoms

[SaraC]

Why do some people say that condoms are slightly porous? My boyfriend and I had sex recently and after we were done, he checked for holes by filling it with water, then filling it with air and there were no visible holes. Is it true what people say about condoms, that even if there is no damage you are still at risk? Thanks!

[Heather]

Likely because they have not had the education to know better, OR because -- and this is common, too -- they do know better, but know others don't, and say that to try and scare people out of being sexual. I think that among peers who may be saying this, they most likely are because they were given intentional misinformation, the scare tactics worked, and they never did the research to find out what they were told was dead wrong. Latex and most nonlatex condoms do NOT have pores.

Too, one type of condom, "lambskin" condoms, are porous, and the pores in those are too large to protect against STIs, but there is no difference with their effectiveness per pregnancy. (That said, using condoms that don't also protect you from STIs is pretty silly, IMO. If you're going to use them, you may as well use the ones that give you all the benefits!)

There is no need to fill a condom with water, ever. If and when a condom breaks, it looks a lot like a broken balloon: you'll know.

Condoms, like every other method of contraception, are not 100% effective, and they aren't 100% effective at STI prevention, either. But they are HIGHLY effective at both, when used consistently and correctly, and if a condom was on for all direct genital contact, and did not break or slip off during use, and was also removed properly, then you can know per pregnancy that it did its job completely.