Information on condom breaks

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-19-2006
Information on condom breaks
12
Mon, 08-28-2006 - 10:07am

Okay, I need some help!!! Any advice or input is GREATLY appreciated, as I am going out of my mind here.

I had protected sex with a condom twice with a male friend. We are both adults and very aware of how to use a condom. He did it as perfectly as he possibly could, because he is highly paranoid about pregnancy. Which means (and I witnessed all of this, because I'm paranoid, too): He did not touch me with his penis until the condom was on. He was very careful not to rip or tear the condom while he was putting it on. The condom came lubricated with spermicide -- and it was not older than six months. It didn't have any visible holes/tears. It had a reservoir tip which was intact. Our sex was very short, which did not allow for much time for any extra tears to occur. After he ejaculated, he removed his penis (condom still on), by the base, so no leakage would occur. And checked to see that all of the semen was still in the reservoir tip. It was. Then, in the bathroom, he applied pressure to the end/tip of the condom to check for any pinholes (you know, making it balloon out with pressure to see if there was a defect). Nothing happened. By all accounts, things should be fine. We are just very paranoid.

My question is this. When condoms "break" or "tear" or "pop", are they always visible? We didn't see ANYTHING that could appear that way, but are there teeny, tiny little breaks that aren't visible to the naked eye? I have never had a condom break or tear, so I have NO CLUE what it looks or feels like. Do you always know when a condom breaks or tears? I know that no one can detect tiny pinholes immediately, but I thought that pressing down on the condom to make sure would alleviate that particular concern. I just don't know how big breaks or tears have to be. It seems to me that due to the properties of latex, it would have to sort of stretch and explode and make a visible tear, but of course, I could be wrong.

HELP! Please don't try and scare me. :) But please give me your honest opinion, based off of experience, etc. I have done internet research galore and can't find anything that describes or defines condom breakage. Thank you so, so, so much.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-29-2006
Tue, 08-29-2006 - 3:19pm
i am new to these boards and i have a question. hope you don't mind! i just tried vcf for the first time last night as a condom backup (i just went off of the nuva ring until we're ready to conceive) and i dried my finger really well...but the film got wet going in and just formed to my finger. when i pulled my finger out, it was practically plastered to it so i just threw it away. i hate not to be protected in case of breakage. any tips for getting it to stay where it needs to be?
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Tue, 08-29-2006 - 4:01pm

Hi jennreck19, welcome!


      Jill

    

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