Does anyone here rely on just condoms for contraception? How has it been? Any unplanned pregnancies? Thinking of going that way but want a better idea of how safe / satisfactory it has been for others.
Currently I'm on the pill AND use condoms. Earlier, I've only used condoms for a few years. Never gotten pregnant, but I've lost count of the times I got a pregnancy scare. That was really stressful, and all those pregnancy tests added up to quite a bit of money.
I'm a woman and using a (male) condom makes the sensation a little less ''detailed''. Using a female condom is even less sexy and again some of the sensation is lost - furthermore, they're quite expensive. That's a really small price to pay, however.
According to my experience, (male) condoms can sometimes slide off without any of the partners noticing. Furthermore, many men lose their erection before the condom's on and that obviously makes having penetrative sex quite difficut.
My advice would be to use condoms combined with another form of contraception. Imo spermicide is an ok option since it's non-invasive (unlike copper spiral) and doesn't contain hormones.
1 Like
I've relied exclusively on condoms for years. We've had condoms rip on a few occassions. To be fair, this was only when A) we were in a high-impact position or B) I ran out of good condoms, and bought some Aldi ones in an emergency...
There's also the risk that you can have a few drinks, feel all soppy, and both think "to hell with it, let's have a baby!". At least the pill would negate that risk.
Never had s problem with condoms. It depends upon trusting your man and also not making a big issue about putting it on. I would recommend that you get really good at putting them on for him. My husband loved me doing that for him. I’m on the pill now so don’t have the put it on problem but the pill does have one drawback over the condom. Sperm smells and a condom catches all that. 😂
The pill always gave me migraines so wasn't an option. Always used (male) condoms with no problem. Latex free though, as I have a sensitivity. Made each pop a bit pricier! Never had an unwanted pregnancy scare.
When OH and I got together that was all we used, but he was careful when putting them on and keeping them on - need to be mindful this so they don't split or slip. Once we were married we carried on because we wanted children so timing when to stop using them to conceive was easy.
After the kids I had the depo provera injection every 3 months and that worked fine too - better, in fact, with the added benefit, for us, of stopping periods.
Now post-menopausal and happily banging away without a care in the world :-)
1 Like
I've used them for years both for contraception (I don't do well on hormones) and because I have a semen allergy.
They've worked well as a contraception, but I'd recommend trying different types. We use latex-free Skyn (I'm also latex-sensitive - oh, the joy!).
OH isn't that keen on them so I kept an eye on my (very regular) cycle and risked not using them sometimes. We've also just used them for penetration then removed to finish off with a hand/blow job, just to mix it up a bit.
If you rely on them and can't afford a pregnancy for any reason you absolutely have to use them consistently. It's a baby recipe to forget if you've had a few drinks or if you're overcome with passion one evening. The only people I've known that they've failed with are those that have "forgotten" on occasion. Keep a morning after pill in the house in case of breakage (though I've never had a problem with latex-free).
We have used only condoms for the last 17 years since our daughter was born. We had 1 scare but apart from that no problem and still enjoying sex as always
I was on the pill and then the coil for 13 years in total. During my pregnancy we decided to give my body a break and to use condoms after the birth.
We've been using condoms now for 8 months and I have to say it hasn't been as bad as I expected, although for me the cons outweigh the pros.
PROS: Condoms do seem to have improved over the last 13 years, and we have had fun trying out the different types particularly the durex intense! We've found that condoms with added texture or lubes definitely help to combat the loss of sensation by adding completely new sensations. I will be looking into purchasing various arousal balms etc because of this. They have worked fine for us for preventing pregnancy too. It's also nice to not have the mess and sperm smell lol. Lastly there's no impact on my body.
CONS: After so many years of not using condoms we really missed the spontaneity! We did find ways to make the 'pause' less of a thing, but it was still really frustrating, especially for me! We did have some mood killer moments too! I hated checking them afterwards and the worry of what if! There is also the constant cost and needing to keep stocked up!
I do think condoms have their place and suit some just fine, but for us as we don't need to protect from STIs they're just not for us. I never had any issues with the coil so I'm having a new one fitted next week haha!
When we were active in that way we just used condoms and had no scares. Always used the Durex ones with spermicidal lubricant. Think they were extra thick as well, so never ripped one. Never worried about reduced sensitivty. Never spoilt my enjoyment!
We have to use condoms as coil doesn't fit in my wife. Some medical term the nurse used. Best time is when my wife is "on". Then she can properly feel me Contraception history isn't great with us have quite a few children. No regrets though as they are all lovely.
After children, most couples need to resort to condoms for contraception - this was ok, obviously not as pleasant as the pure bare feeling but if used effectively, are very safe depending on the brand / type.
Thanks so much to you all for your replies. As I've spent quite a lot of my sexually active life on the dating scene, I'm quite used to putting a condom on (or, better. having one put on me) without wating to be asked before entry. I have unfortunately left the condom inside a few times owing to leaving it too late before pulling out but on all those occasions the ladies involved were on the Pill. There have been no unplanned pregnancies - as far as I know! So we'll go with condoms of various varieties, plus spermicide on the most fertile days, for now.
Always used just condoms, when not using the withdrawal method is much more risky and not advisable.
I'm very hormone sensitive so we use condoms, have done for 20 years (apart from when trying for a baby/ pregnant). Just 2 oops moments in all that time. We do have a little bare back fun when I know my very regular period is on the way. My Husband says he would rather condoms than an imbalanced wife with no sex drive 😂
We have used just condoms for over 10 years without any issues or scares. We were pretty careful and don't seem to have had a problem even with a little action without the condom before we really got into it and put it on him. The last couple of months I've actually gone on the pill, not for contraception, but for heavy periods. We still have plenty of condoms around and my hubby likes to use one when he wanks to save on the cleanup.
We used condoms then moved to the withdrawal method, was lucky that the OH’s cycle was regular, so we knew the ‘safe’ days when she was less likely to get pregnant. On those days I was allowed to cum inside her.
On other days it was withdrawal and cum on her tummy.