Condoms are a popular contraceptive, especially among young couples. You can buy them without a doctor’s prescription for relatively little money. This makes them available quickly and without much effort. It’s true that it’s easy to get condoms. However, when it comes to using them, there are a few things you should keep in mind. This is because condoms are also prone to errors. This can quickly lead to an unwanted pregnancy despite the use of a rubber. If you heed the following tips, you can enjoy the time together with your partner quite relaxed.

Tips For Him And Her

As a mechanical contraceptive, condoms do not burden the body with hormones. It’s different with the contraceptive pill, for example. That is one reason why many people use condoms. Mechanical contraceptives prevent sperm from entering the uterus through a barrier (diaphragm, condom and others) that acts like a closed door.

Unfortunately, condoms are not very safe as far as pregnancy prevention is concerned. For example, it is believed that statistically up to 12 out of 100 women will get pregnant if they use this contraceptive method for a year. By the way, this figure is also called the Pearl Index. It provides information about the safety of a contraceptive. By comparison, women who do not use a contraceptive at all for a year have a Pearl index of 80 to 90.

Getting condoms does not require a visit to the gynecologist. Nevertheless, girls who want to use condoms should make an appointment with the “gyn”. This is not a big deal, by the way. Usually there is no examination at the first appointment, but a consultation. The gynecologist can explain which contraceptive is best for you and what to look for. Some doctors advise you to take the pill right away. But please think about it yourself first and ask yourself whether you would prefer to use other contraceptive methods. After all, the pill is not a piece of candy that you can just pop in. You can find out more about the pill in the “Children’s topics – Health” section of our homepage.

What Material Are Condoms Made Of?

Most condoms are made of latex. This is a thin plastic that is very stretchy and tear-resistant. Some people cannot tolerate latex. If the material feels uncomfortable on your skin or you get an itch from it, better leave it alone. There are special latex-free condoms for you. You can buy them at the pharmacy. These condoms are made of polyurethane. They last just as well as normal latex condoms.

Condoms last only for a limited time. Over time, the material changes, which can make them brittle. This is because heat, cold and other environmental factors have a significant effect on the latex after a while. Do not use condoms that have already expired. Because they can no longer protect you adequately.

There are vending machines for condoms. Not every vending machine is regularly maintained. Therefore, you should pay special attention to the best-before date. Look carefully whether the condoms of this vending machine are “fun condoms” or real condoms for contraception. Because fun condoms only serve the purpose of looking funny.

Nubs, ribs and more: these days, the “rubbers” come in all imaginable varieties. Of course, there’s nothing to stop you from trying them out a little. But be aware that some types of condoms are less tear-resistant due to their composition. In terms of safety, you are therefore best advised to use the normal brand standard condom.

Caution When Ordering On The Internet

You can order condoms cheaply on the Internet. However, this opportunity should be taken with a grain of salt. Not all suppliers are reputable. So it can happen that you experience a bitter disappointment at the latest with the delivery. You’re more likely to get the quality you’re used to if you shop at your local drugstore. By the way, there’s nothing to be ashamed of when you buy condoms. To the cashiers at the drugstore, you’re not the first teenager to buy condoms. This, just like shopping for pads and panty liners, is something completely normal.

It’s all in the size! In a way, there is some truth to this saying. Because the condom should definitely be bought in the right size. A guide to finding the right size is here: http://www.bravo.de/dr-sommer/so-findest-du-deine-kondomgroesse-257569.html . Once you have determined the size, you can go shopping. In the drugstore you should then look at different condom packs. Usually you will find a size (circumference) in mm on it. The product you buy should fit as closely as possible. You are a girl and you don’t know exactly which size you should buy? Choose different brand products or trial packs with different types of condoms to have something suitable at home. However, it’s best to talk openly with your boyfriend about it. It’s sometimes fun to measure the size together, you’ll see!

If the rubber is too small or too big, it loses its safety. If the rubber is too small, it can tear, while if it is too big, the semen can leak out. The rubber should therefore fit really well without feeling uncomfortable. It’s best to talk openly with each other and try out different brands until you find something that suits you. Remember, you don’t buy clothes in just any size, do you?

Think about how you’ll wear the rubber. More experienced couples like to use extra-strong rubbers for certain practices. Normally, however, standard condoms are perfectly adequate.

It’s Not Always The Name That Counts

In many areas of daily life, brand-name products are not necessarily better than no-name goods. With No-Name relatively unknown manufacturers are known, as one knows them from Discountläden. However, this consideration does NOT apply to condoms!!! Because the significantly more expensive branded condoms (Durex and Co.) are partly much safer than cheap products. These manufacturers test each condom individually and guarantee consistent quality. So avoid super cheap cheap rubbers.

You are afraid of getting pregnant despite the use of a rubber, but you don’t want to give up this kind of contraception? In the meantime, there are condoms containing spermicide, which are supposed to be even safer. Spermicide is a substance that kills sperm. That should ring alarm bells for you. Such toxic substances can damage the vaginal flora and lead to urinary tract infections (even if the manufacturers deny this). This is extremely unpleasant and painful in the long run. It’s better to play it safe by using a condom of the right size and following all the tips in this article. Then you can relax and enjoy your partner without worrying.

Choose a condom that is “wet.” These rubbers do not irritate the vaginal flora as quickly. Especially the first time you should use wet rubbers. They glide better and provide a more pleasant feeling.

Please Be Careful When Handling

Normally, condoms have a reservoir. This is the bulb at the end of the condom. This is where the semen is collected. Without a reservoir, it can happen that it leaks. This would make the condom useless in terms of preventing pregnancy.
Speaking of pregnancy. Did you know that condoms are not only valued for their contraceptive effect? A good condom protects you from many sexually transmitted diseases. Especially because of the risk of HIV, you should definitely use condoms when you sleep with a new boyfriend. HIV is also known as AIDS. It is a deadly virus that paralyzes the human immune system. HIV can be transmitted through unprotected sex, for example. Couples who have been together for a long time take an HIV test. This helps rule out the possibility that one of the partners could transmit the virus. After such a test, it is okay to switch to another contraceptive.

When unwrapping the condom, please be careful. Tear it open at the edge and not in the middle. The edge is usually perforated for this purpose. This makes it easy to open the rubber. Never open it with a sharp object such as scissors or a nail file! Even if the condom does not show any visible damage afterwards, tiny holes may have been created as a result.

The first time you use a condom, you may mix up the inside and outside of the condom. Make sure the little roll at the bottom of the rubber is on the outside. Put it on backwards? No problem, but be sure to try again immediately with a new condom. It is not unlikely that there is already semen on the inside of the condom. It would be a shame if you got pregnant unintentionally just because you didn’t want to tear open another condom, wouldn’t it?

You learn how to “put on” a condom correctly at school during sex lessons. For more detailed info, check out the website www.loveline.de. Take a look at this page to avoid mistakes when unrolling.

Be careful with lubricating creams and the like! There are special lubricating gels that are suitable for use together with latex condoms. Please refrain from using body oils or creams. Many of them have an extremely aggressive effect on the condom. Once it has dissolved, it is too late to worry about it.

Sex is a beautiful thing. You would love to lie there for a while afterwards and savor the moment. If you use condoms for contraception, you will unfortunately have to do without them. It is important to dispose of them immediately after you have finished. Otherwise it is very likely that the semen will leak out and you will get pregnant.

Worksheet For The Text

1) Explain the difficult words from the text.
What does…

• mechanical contraceptive
• Pearl Index
• No-name
• HIV
• Reservoir
• spermicidal

2) Why is it important to pay attention to the right size condom? Write down what you remembered.

3) For this task, you will need a highlighter (text marker) in any color. Take the text again. Now mark the most important parts of the text. What do you want to remember? What did you not know yet? Try to mark only those sentences that you find particularly interesting or important.

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