Expert: Bob Kambic - 3/14/2007

Question
Me and my boyfriend have been having sexual intercourse for a few months now and it seems as though we have had no luck with condoms lately. Out of a package of 12, four have broken (all without us realizing until we finished). I watch him put it on and it seems as though he is doing it correctly, so I am puzzled as to why this keeps happening. I have had enough of worrying and have recently started birth control about three weeks ago. During this time, we have proceeded to have sexual intercourse, with one further condom failure and us not noticing. Is the birth control pill 'Try-Cyclen' effective immediately (like within the first week for example), even if this is my first time being on birth control, or should I be worried?

Answer
Condoms may break because they are old and have been in storage or on the shelf for some time. You may want to use a thicker condom, buy them from a reputable store, and check with the pharmacist about how old they are.

The pill takes seven (7) days to be effective. Be sure to read the package insert that comes with the pill.