Are condoms effective? Are they always necessary? What is the correct way to put one on? Read on to get informed, so you can make the best decisions for you about sex, protection, and pregnancy. Studies have found that about one in 50 women using condoms perfectly over an entire year of sex will experience a pregnancy. If you take into account people who use condoms incorrectly, they are still highly effective, with a rate of 15 pregnancies occurring out of women having sex over a year 1.
The male condom is a thin cover that fits over a man's erect penis. Condoms are made of:. Condoms are the only method of birth control for men that are not permanent. They can be purchased at most drugstores, in vending machines in some restrooms, by mail order, and at certain health care clinics. Condoms do not cost very much. If the sperm contained in a male's semen reach a woman's vagina, pregnancy may occur. Condoms work by preventing sperm from coming in contact with the inside of the vagina.
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When it comes to birth control , some methods are more effective than others. This is especially the case with over-the-counter OTC methods. For example, the effectiveness of condoms against pregnancy is higher than the effectiveness of spermicides. Plus, to be most effective, OTC birth control needs to be used correctly every time you have sex. So even though condoms can be an effective way to prevent against pregnancy, if your boyfriend refuses to wear condoms , or he does not properly puts one on , the condom losses some of its effectiveness.
Back to Your contraception guide. Condoms are the only type of contraception that can both prevent pregnancy and protect against sexually transmitted infections STIs. There are two types of condoms: male condoms, worn on the penis; and female condoms, worn inside the vagina. Male condoms are made from very thin latex rubber , polyisoprene or polyurethane and are designed to stop a man's semen from coming into contact with his sexual partner. Condoms are a "barrier" method of contraception.