Male Condoms
Effectiveness of Stork Avoidance
85-98%
Frequency of Use
Every time you have sex.
Length of Time from Stop to Stork
Immediately
Must see a Health Care Provider Before Starting
No – but you should tell your health care provider that you use condoms.
Prescription Needed
No
STI Protection
Yes
Description
A tube like polyurethane or latex* sheath fitted over the penis preventing sperm from entering the uterus.
* Use polyurethane condoms if you are allergic to latex.
Description
A tube like polyurethane or latex* sheath fitted over the penis preventing sperm from entering the uterus.
If you are using condoms, practice before you are in the heat of the moment! Read the directions and use your fingers or a banana and practice putting condoms on the right way. Trying to do this for the first time with someone new – in the dark and naked – isn’t easy.
- Talk about condoms before things start getting too hot to stop! Ask, “Your condom or mine?”
- Assume that condoms will be used and look shocked if your partner suggests otherwise.
- Condoms work best if they are used EVERY time you have sex!
- If you and your partner haven’t been using condoms, but want to start, try saying something like, “We made a bad decision; we’ve been lucky so far, I don’t want to keep counting on luck.’
Sometimes it takes a few tries to find a condom brand, style, and size that works best for both of you. Keep trying--don’t give up if you don’t like the one you used.
Using condoms also takes practice, so practice with and without your partner. Condoms work 98% of the time when you use them correctly, so practice pays off.
* Use polyurethane condoms if you are allergic to latex.
