What do I do if a condom breaks?

If partners are having vaginal or anal sex and the condom breaks or slips off inside the vagina or anus before the partner with a penis ejaculates, the couple should stop having sex immediately. If they want to start having sex again right after this happens, they should put on a new condom before they continue.

If a condom breaks or slips off during vaginal sex, the partner with a vagina can still use emergency contraception within five days to avoid a pregnancy.

If the condom slips off inside of you or your partner and you can’t get it out, you can go to a health care provider and have it removed. Don’t worry, they’re used to this and know how to get it out easily.

If any couple is having anal sex and the condom slips off or breaks, there’s no risk of pregnancy—unless the partner who is being penetrated has a vagina and semen spills from the anus to the vagina—but there is risk of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV. It’d be a really good idea for both partners to get tested.

These are the most common reasons a condom slips off or breaks:

• It was put on incorrectly (the tip wasn’t pinched or it was rolled on the wrong way).
• It was old (the expiration date passed).
• It was ripped or exposed to high temperatures wherever it was stored.

If your condom breaks, review the steps for how to use a condom to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Learn more about emergency contraception.