Did you know that Feb. 14 is a holiday? Of course you did — it’s Valentine’s Day, after all! But it’s also National Condom Day.

The two holidays pair together well. After all, the best V-Day gift you can give to yourself and to your partner is the assurance of safe intimacy. And condoms are one of the best tools in our repertoire for preventing pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted infections.

“Using condoms is one of the easiest ways to look after your sexual health and the sexual health of your partner,” says Robert Cornelius, Prevention Program Manager for Cempa Community Care. “If used correctly, male condoms are 98% effective.”

A Refresher on Condom Best Practices

When it comes to condoms, it’s quite accurate to say they aren’t one-size-fits-all. For one, there are multiple sizes of condoms, but they also come in quite a variety of styles. 

Finding the right fit is important — and you may need to put vanity aside to find it. (Yes, gentlemen, we said that!)

“Condoms come in many styles and shapes and sizes and materials,” Cornelius says. “If you put 10 different condoms out for men to choose from, they will always choose the large ones, which most men do not need and which can contribute to condom failure. But barring that, it’s all about trying and selecting what works best for you and your partner.”

Beyond choosing the style and fit that works best for you, it’s also important to use safe condom practices. While they’re simple to use, they can be misused, which decreases the effectiveness.

“Always discard a condom if you mistakenly put it on the wrong way,” Cornelius says. “Once you touch your body with it, you can’t just flip it over, because your body fluids can be on it.”

Other condom basics in case you need a refresher? Start here:

• Use a condom every time you have sex. (But not multiple condoms at once, which can actually increase the risk of failure.)
• Put the condom on before having sex.
• Check the expiration date on the condom package. (Yes, condoms expire!)
• Take a look at the condom before putting it on, looking for obvious tears or defects.
• Keep condoms in a cool, dry place. (Not the glovebox or your wallet.)
• Don’t use oil-based lubes, such as lotion, baby oil, or petroleum jelly, since they can cause the condom to break.

Keeping You Stocked

Want to use condoms to protect your sexual health, but worried about the cost or where to find them? There’s no need to worry — Cempa stays stocked up, so you can get the condoms you need, at any time.

“No one should ever have to buy condoms if they aren’t able to do so,” Cornelius says. “Anyone can drop by and ask for a discreet white bag filled with condoms. And we have condom boxes all over town and at universities and clubs.”

Cempa also offers other sexual health services, including confidential STI and free HIV testing, results to which are usually available within 20 minutes. At-home HIV testing kits are also available.

If you think you may have been exposed to HIV within the past few days, Cempa provides post-exposure prophylaxis therapy, or PEP. This therapy can be used to prevent HIV if begun within 72 hours after exposure. If you believe you’ve been exposed within the last 72 hours, email Mario Forte, PReP Navigator at Cempa, at mforte@cempa.org.

We’re committed to helping those in our community protect their sexual health. Check out our Prevention Services to learn more.