FPNSW: Sex Matters: FAQs: I had sex with my boyfriend for the first time a while ago and we used a condom. But then later, we didn't use one but it was only for about 10 seconds. Should I be worried about pregnancy?

FAQs

Question

I had sex with my boyfriend for the first time a while ago and we used a condom. But then later, we didn't use one but it was only for about 10 seconds. Should I be worried about pregnancy?

Answer

The best way of using condoms to prevent both pregnancy and sexually transmissible infections is to use them for any penetration at all, or any contact of the penis in or near the vagina. This means no matter how little of the penis goes in or how quick penetration is, you should use a condom.

There are small numbers of sperm in the pre-cum (the fluid which beads on the penis before ejaculation) left on your partner's penis after previous sex. There's a small chance of a fertile couple falling pregnant from this pre-cum though there might be only small numbers of sperm around. If you have any slip-ups like this in the future, it might be worth considering the emergency contraceptive pill: http://www.fpnsw.org.au/sex-matters/factsheets/76.html

Have either you or your boyfriend had sex with any other partners and not used a condom? If the answer is yes, then there would be a possibility of passing a sexually transmissible infection to each other from even the brief genital contact you describe.