Glossary
Condom
The only method that stops both pregnancy and STIs, as long as you use it right every time.
What is a condom?
A condom is a thin sheath you roll over the erect penis before sex, and it catches the sperm. It’s the only method that protects against both pregnancy and STIs. Used correctly, a condom keeps about 98 out of 100 couples from an unwanted pregnancy over a year.
| Also known as | external condom or male condom |
| What it is | a thin sheath over the penis that catches sperm |
| Protects against | both pregnancy and STIs, the only method that does both |
| Effectiveness | about 98% against pregnancy with correct use, every time |
| Main caveat | it doesn’t cover every STI, and only works when used right |
| Belongs to | safer sex |
How well does a condom work?
Used right, a condom is about 98% effective against pregnancy over a year. That figure comes from the World Health Organization: 98% of women whose partner uses the condom correctly for every sex act stay protected against unwanted pregnancy for a year. Condoms also cut the odds of most STIs sharply, as long as they’re used consistently and correctly. The WHO estimates that the rise in condom use since 1990 has prevented some 117 million HIV infections worldwide.
Two words carry the whole story: correctly, and every time. Put it on crooked and the protection drops. Same if it goes on too late, or gets skipped even once.
What does a condom do, and where does it stop?
The payoff is peace of mind and two kinds of protection in one move. Thuisarts.nl, the Dutch public health site, puts it plainly: a condom protects against pregnancy and against STIs. Put it on when the penis is hard, in time, so before there’s any contact with the vagina, mouth, or anus.
A condom doesn’t bring the risk down to zero, though. Some STIs spread through skin the condom leaves uncovered, like herpes and HPV. And it only works when it sits right. If you want to know for sure you don’t have an STI, a test is the way, not a condom on its own. For any doubt or symptoms, your doctor is the place.
Sources
- Condoms. World Health Organization. Provides the 98% protection against pregnancy with correct use, the finding that condoms lower the odds of most STIs, and the estimate of 117 million HIV infections prevented since 1990.
- Ik wil condooms gaan gebruiken. Thuisarts.nl. Explains in plain Dutch that a condom protects against pregnancy and STIs, and how to put one on the right way.
Related terms
- Safer sex. The broader practice a condom is the best-known tool of.
- Condom contract. The agreement in a relationship or network about when you do and don’t use a condom.
- Contraception. The wider family of methods against pregnancy, and the condom is the only one of them that also stops STIs.
- Glossary. Every term worked out so far.
Frequently asked questions
What people still ask about condoms.
What is a condom?
A condom is a thin sheath you roll over the erect penis before sex, and it catches the sperm. It’s the only method that protects against both pregnancy and STIs.
Does a condom protect against all STIs?
No. A condom sharply lowers the odds of most STIs, but some spread through skin the condom leaves uncovered, like herpes and HPV. For certainty about an STI, a test is the way.
Who can you turn to with questions about condoms?
Victor, a gigolo with twenty-five years of experience, someone for whom safe sex is simply part of the deal. For symptoms or an STI test, your doctor is the place. Everything else you can ask with no obligation through the contact form or free chat.
Want to know more
Still have questions about condoms?
I'm Victor. Safe sex is simply part of how I work, and there's nothing about it that has to feel awkward. For symptoms or an STI test, your doctor is the place. The rest you can ask me freely. No obligation, I'll message you back whenever it suits you.