Thanks for your question. First, good for you for using a condom and wanting to be healthy.
Here are a few tips to help prevent condoms from breaking:
- Make sure it’s a good fit.
- Use a water-based or silicone-based lubricant. This will help reduce friction, which helps decrease the risk of the condom breaking.
- Do NOT use oil-based lubricants with condoms.
- Make sure the condom is not expired.
- Make sure to put the condom on correctly. It may seem simple, but there are several key steps to make sure it works as it should.
If the condom breaks, it increases your risk of a sexually transmitted infections (STI). If the condom breaks it’s a good idea to get tested for STIs. STIs can be associated with symptoms such as discharge from your penis, pain when you pee, or bumps on your penis. However, most people with an STI have no symptoms, which means the infection can worsen or they can spread it to someone else through sexual contact without even knowing.
Here’s a tip on how to bring it up to your health care provider: “The condom broke the other day, and I want to make sure I’m healthy.”