How do you know what size condom touse?
Thanks forasking! Condoms are the best protection out there against sexually transmitted infections and unwantedpregnancies, and you can get them for free on the NHS from sexual healthclinics, some GP surgeries and pharmacies and some young people'sservices, but many people wonder how to find the right size for them or their partner for maxcomfort, safety andpleasure.
What are the risks of using a condom that's not the right sizethen?
Well, if it's toosmall, there's a risk it could tear and if it's too long it might slipoff.
The protection that a condom offers against STIs and unwanted pregnancies is compromised in both thosesituations, causing a lot of unnecessary stress for bothpartners, especially if they don't realise what's happened until after they've finished havingsex.
The thingis, condoms are by their nature elastic andstretchy.
The condom should fit the diameter and length of the erectpenis, and to know what size that is foryou, you need to measure yourpenis.
How do I do thatthen?Well, at the risk of stating theobvious, condoms are used when a penis iserect, so of course you'll have to measure yours when you've got anerection.
Medical news today says that to take an accurate measurement of the penis and find the best condomfit, a person should measure the length from the base of the penis where the penis meets the pelvis to the end of thetip.
That's easyenough, but finding the right girth measurement is actually more important when it comes to choosing the right condomsize.
To doso, you'll need measuring tape or a piece ofstring, which you should wrap around the thickest part of thepenis, usually near the middle of theshaft.
According toverywellhealth.com, you should use a close fit condom if your penis girth is under 1.75 inches and a larger fit if it's over 2inches.
Anything in between would suit a standard fitcondom.
But if I'm not really sure about thesize, if in doubt you can measure your penis on several differentoccasions, preferably at different times of theday, bear in mind that manufacturers use different terms to market theircondoms, which can make thingstricky.
Once you've worked out what size condom you need and bought abox, you can still try one out alone at yourleisure.
Then when you're in a situation where you're about to havesex, you won't have the distraction of worrying about whether or not it willfit.
There you haveit. Now you know how to find out what size condom touse.
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