are condoms good enough?

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-21-2003
are condoms good enough?
2
Sun, 02-22-2004 - 8:33pm
Is using condoms good enough for protection? I was going to try to get on the ring, but i was told my blood pressure was too high. i don't really want to go on depo, and i'm too young to use the iud. lately i haven't had as much sex as i did before i went on the pill, and even while i was on it, i would still use condoms (i'm that paranoid). But without extra protection, maybe it's probably going to discourage me from having sex... Is using a condom without anything good enough for you?
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Sun, 02-22-2004 - 9:10pm
I wouldn’t trust condoms by themselves. If they tear or slip off you have no back-up other than EC. Using a good 2% Nonoxynol-9 spermicide (not the stuff that comes with some condoms) can increase the effectiveness of condoms significantly. I use a cervical cap or diaphragm and use a spermicidal gel with them and am pleased with how effective they have been for me. Something else you might consider is going on the progestin only pill (mini-pill). Using the mini-pill requires taking your pill exactly on time to be effective and even then it is less effective than combined pills. If you were to combine the mini-pill with condoms or a diaphragm (A diaphragm would allow more spontaneity.) that could be a very effective combination. I hope you find a method that works well for you.

Good luck

      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Mon, 02-23-2004 - 7:57am

I used only condoms for five years before I started the pill, for me it worked fine, but I was in a long-distance relationship for most of the time.

Judie Cl for Birth Control