A question about condoms + birth control pills

[jirish1995]

Hi guys, I just have a question about condoms and birth control.

I tend to be very anxious about pregnancy, and my girlfriend and I always double up using condoms and the pill (She's on Tri-Sprintec). Anyways, whenever we're finished I always fill the condom up with water to check for any potential holes, and fortunately we've never had a visible hole. However, lately I've been really concerned about a hole developing that would be too small for me to see, so my first question is, is it possible for a microscopic hole to develop in a condom that would not let out a stream of water when the condom was filled with water? Are all condom "breaks" or failures easily detectable?

My second question is about the pill, and mainly its effectiveness. My girlfriend suffers from severe lung issues, and is on something like 14 prescription medications, most of which are steroids but I'm pretty sure she's on at least one antibiotic at all times. Are drug interactions that lower the efficacy of birth control pills common? Are there particular medications to watch out for? I feel like her doctors would watch out for any possible interactions and inform her but I still worry!


PS. I'm a long time lurker here, and this is my first post,I'm sorry if I messed up any rules/procedure!

And thank you guys so much for what you do here, this website has provided me with better sexual education than public school ever did, and has helped save me from a lot of irrational freak outs.

[Karyn]

Welcome to the boards!

It's really not necessary to test condoms with water after using them. Any tiny hole in a condom would rapidly become a much bigger hole during sex, and you would notice that: when condoms break, it's pretty obvious. If the condom did not break or slip off, then you can assume that it was effective at preventing pregnancy.

With the pill and antibiotics, especially given the range of medications your girlfriend takes, the best person to ask about this would be her doctor. Not all antibiotics affect the pill, and that is something that her doctors should be aware of, but it never hurts to double check. Pharmacists also have up-to-date information on what medications interact, so whoever filled her prescription is another person she could go to for information.

[jirish1995]

Great, thank you so much for the reply. I'll have her make sure next time she goes to the doctor, thanks again!

[Karyn]

You're very welcome.