It is one sexual health message no one can claim to have missed – wearing a condom helps prevent unwanted pregnancy, and protects against sexually transmitted diseases.
Despite the medical evidence and common sense, still, countless couples get carried away, letting their passion get the better of them.
Not wearing a condom is the biggest condom-related mistake, a person can make. But, even when acting responsibly and taking the precaution, still accidents can happen.
Men’s sexual health expert, Dr Paul Turek of The Turek Clinic in California, revealed the 5 most common errors made when putting on and wearing condoms.
1. PUTTING IT ON INSIDE OUT
It’s pretty difficult to put a condom on inside out because one way is much harder to roll out than the other, Dr Turek explained.
And so, a person should – in theory – only be able to put it on one-way but despite the struggle it may present, many men still end up putting the condom on inside out.
If you’re using a condom that doesn’t contain spermicide, putting it on inside out isn’t the end of the world but, using an inside out condom with spermicide on the wrong side could decrease the effects of the spermicide – which is supposed to stop sperm from moving.
2. DOUBLE-BAGGING
If you want to be extra careful, be sure to wear two condoms. At least, that’s how the saying goes. But in reality, wearing two condoms isn’t as effective as wearing only one. That’s because two condoms can be a pretty tight fit.
And if it’s too tight, it can constrict the penis – and you can lose sensation. ‘That could lead to delayed ejaculation and getting all sweaty and not ending it,’ Dr Turek said. Additionally, condom-on-condom friction could lead to a rip in one or both of the condoms – which could allow sperm to escape.
3. PUTTING IT ON TOO LATE
Many men wait for foreplay to be done before putting on a condom. That can be a fine tactic – unless your foreplay involves any penetration.
Any skin-to-skin contact could potentially lead to an STD or pregnancy. For a man’s pre-ejaculate could actually be loaded with sperm, according to Dr Turek and so, waiting ‘too long’ to put a condom on is never a good idea.
4. PUTTING IT ON TOO SOON
At the other end of the spectrum, a man shouldn’t attempt to put on a condom when his penis is not yet erect. Doing so may mean that the condom does not sit properly on the penis and, it may even prohibit a man from getting to a place where he could even have sex.
‘It may be difficult to get a good erection that does a good job,’ Dr Turek noted.
5. LEAVING IT ON TOO LONG
After sex, many partners want to lie in each other’s arms, taking in the moment but before the love coma sets in, a man should be sure to take off his condom. Because if he leaves it on too long, he risks having his ejaculate harden.
Dr Turek said: ‘That could be irritating to the skin because it has a lot of anti-inflammatory molecules.’
Additionally, the ejaculate could end up plugging the penis’s urethra. That means leftover sperm could end up staying in place and mixing with pre-ejaculate fluid.
In turn, that could potentially impregnate a woman during foreplay the next time around.
