How to Put a Condom On

DO remove rolled condom from package.

DO roll condom down on penis as soon as it is hard, before you start to make love (during foreplay).

DO leave ¼ - ½ inch extra space at tip of condom by squeezing the tip, to catch the ejaculate if the condom has no nipple.

DON'T unroll condom beforehand; instead, carefully roll on your condom all the way toward the base of the penis.

DON'T put condom on only when you are ready to enter your partner; it may be too late. Drops of semen may ooze from the uncovered penis before ejaculation, and may infect your partner. If your partner is a woman, you may pass the virus on to her and if she becomes pregnant, the child may become infected.

DON'T twist, bite, or prick condom with a pin, this will damage it and allow fluid to leak out, possibly infecting your partner.

Adapted from the editors of Medical Aspects of Human Sexuality, in collaboration with Reed Adams, PhD, Emanuel Fliegelman, DO, and Alan Grieco, PhD.