Condom

HPV cannot pass through a latex condom. But this is the kicker: HPV is frequently carried on skin not covered by condoms. So condoms can help prevent HPV, but they’re not a guarantee.


When the Center for Sexual Health Promotion led a team of researchers to look at data from the 2009 National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior, they found that sex was rated to be pleasurable whether or not it involved using condoms or lubricant, and that condoms don’t have much effect on sexual enjoyment overall.

The only birth control options for guys that are currently available are condoms, sterilization, and the withdrawal method. There have been some promising leads for other options, but they’re still in development.

Whether alcohol affects your birth control really depends on what method you’re using. If you rely on birth control that requires you to use it before you have sex, like condoms or a diaphragm, then alcohol may make it harder for you to use your method correctly or to remember or to use it at all. Here’s more detail about how alcohol can affect sex and birth control.

BTW, if you’re interested a party-ready method, we’ve got you covered.

If you’re under the influence of alcohol—or anything else—a birth control method that doesn’t require action right when you’re about to get your freak on may be your safest bet. Fortunately, there are plenty of options. Note: These methods will cover you against pregnancy, but you should pair them with a condom for STI protection.

And speaking of covering all your bases, here are some tips for safer, smarter hookups.

In an absolutely perfect world, condoms are relatively effective—around 98%. But (and this is super important) in the real world, people mess up. They don’t use them 100% of the time. Or the condom breaks, or slips off. So with typical use, they’re only around 82% effective, which is a big difference.

In other words:

Of those women who use condoms exactly as directed, about 2 in 100 will experience an accidental pregnancy during the first year they use this method.

Of those women who do not use condoms exactly as directed, about 18 in 100 will experience an accidental pregnancy during the first year they use this method.