Sex

What is a condom? How do you use one?

Lucy Whitehouse barrier contraception, condom, condom use, condoms, Contraception, female condom, how to, male condom, Sex

A handy video to help you get to grips with condoms – external ones for penises and internal ones for vaginas.

Condoms are a barrier method of contraception – named because they literally put a barrier between you and your sexual partner. This prevents both unintended pregnancies and the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. So condoms are fantastic, but how do you use one?

Brook, a brilliant sexual health charity, has released a series of brilliant videos on contraception. There are so many different types of contraception, it can be tough to keep up with all of them. This series breaks each one into a bite-sized chunk, so now there’s an easy way to work out what’s best for you. Amazing!

First up: how to use a condom! Check it out in the video below, and find the whole series here.

While you’re at it, why not take a look at our guide for where to get free condoms? No-one should be paying for condoms when there are lots of places to get them for free.

Note: the video refers to ‘female condoms’ instead of ‘internal condoms’, to be inserted into the vagina as contraception. We prefer the term ‘internal condoms’ because it’s gender-inclusive. It doesn’t assume everyone who has a vagina is female. The video also refers to ‘us girls’ when talking about hormonal contraception that people with a uterus can take. Not everyone who has a vagina or a uterus is a woman. Our genitals don’t dictate our gender identity.

Using a condom when you have sex is really important – it’s the only form of contraception that will protect you from both pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. So keep suiting up, gang!