Expert: Allison - 9/22/2006

Question
While have sex the comdon we were using broke and came off inside her. I was alarmed and I washed the genital area completly and even cleaned the area with alcohol. This was my first sexual experence in 6 years(my wife died). I am a 45 y/o man and I am scared to death of what may happen.

Answer
Dear Michael,

There are two issues here. The first is Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and the second is Pregnancy.

STIs are tricky because there are many of them with different symptoms, infection rates, etc. Do you know the medical history of your partner? Unfortunately I cannot say if you are at risk because I do not know your medical history or your partners. The incubation period, or time that an STI can be passed from one person to another, is different for each infection so even if she did have one there is a possibility it was not passed to you. In general, it is a good idea to know what your genitals look like when healthy so that if there is ever a problem you will be able to recognize it, but this in no way should replace a doctor’s test because there are many STIs with no symptoms. My best recommendation in this situation is to see your local doctor for an STI test.

As for pregnancy, there is something called the Emergency Contraceptive Pill. I do not know where you live or what your situation is, but if you can find this at a local pharmacy or medical clinic or hospital it can be taken up to 5 days after the condom breaking. As well, I do not know if you ejaculated inside of her. If you did not then there is only a very small chance, but still a chance. If you did ejaculate then there is a higher chance and I would definitely recommend it. Another option is something called an IUD. This is a contraceptive device that can be put in place up to 5 days after and then can be left in the woman as a permanent contraception device. You will have to discuss this with your partner, as it is up to her which method she prefers. With pregnancy, the best time to test to see if a woman is pregnant is 7 days after her missed period. So if you cannot find any emergency contraception, or if it has been more than 5 days, unfortunately you will have to wait and see what happens.

Another question here is, why did the condom break? Was it not put on correctly in the first place? Was there not enough lubrication and so the friction of sex and the heat generated caused it to break? Was it past the expiry date on the wrapper? Was it handled with sharp nails or something like that? I do not know because I was not there, but I can recommend a website for you to check out to prevent this from happening in the future. It’s at http://www.optionsforsexualhealth.org/facts/fs410.htm . This is a great resource and I recommend taking a look around their website.

I hope some of this has helped you, I’m sorry I couldn’t be more specific, but when it comes to these types of concerns, these are the best things you really can do.

Good luck,

Allison