# How do so many people get pregnant from condoms? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 15, 2009, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-so-many-people-get-pregnant-from-condoms/503153 "2009-07-15T21:20:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![otorophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3ab097/32.png) [@otorophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/otorophile)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-so-many-people-get-pregnant-from-condoms/503153/21 "2009-07-16T00:48:08Z")
Seeing how it said “couples who reported condom use,” I would imagine just reports. I mean they don’t watch everything you eat with long term food studies either, which actually makes me give a big :dubious: when some study comes out saying “diets low in fat reduce cancer rates” or something. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-so-many-people-get-pregnant-from-condoms/503153/22 "2009-07-16T01:50:56Z")
I wouldn’t say that the morning after pill is particularly widely available. I had to get it once. I live in a pretty populated area. I never considered trying to get it at the pharmacy - I looked up the nearest Planned Parenthood and went out there. Took me about 30 mins by car and I think it cost…$20? $50? I forget (the PP site says $10-70, depending on where you go). I had to go on a Wednesday when they are open till 7 so I could go after work (thank goodness that worked out!) So, in order to have the Morning After Pill available to you, you need… 1. To find out where to get it, if it’s available in your area at all. 2. Have transportation to get there. 3. Be able to go during the hours they are open, within the right timeframe of the “incident” 4. Have the money to purchase it. 5. Get off your butt and actually do it. Also, in my experience, such a high dose of hormones is friggin hard on the brain. I had to fess up to my mom that I had taken the morning after pill when I freaked out and almost punched my dad one night after taking it. Talk about mood swings, yeesh! A woman who had problems with taking the pill once might prefer to “risk it” instead of going through a bad experience again. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-so-many-people-get-pregnant-from-condoms/503153/23 "2009-07-16T02:05:05Z")
Wouldn’t it be prudent to buy the morning after pill before you needed it? I mean, if you are a sexually active woman of child bearing age who doesn’t want to get pregnant, I would think a contingency plan would be something to think about before you need it. But, I am not a woman, so maybe I’m off base here. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-so-many-people-get-pregnant-from-condoms/503153/24 "2009-07-16T02:28:31Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Wouldn’t it be prudent to buy the morning after pill before you needed it? I mean, if you are a sexually active woman of child bearing age who doesn’t want to get pregnant, I would think a contingency plan would be something to think about before you need it. But, I am not a woman, so maybe I’m off base here. Depending on how sexually active a woman is, it may not be cost effective. Particularly if it, like many other drugs, comes with expiration date as well as a recommended/required storage guidelines. I’m sexually active, but I may go months with a dry spell (unfortunately, sadly, incredibly frustrating, and also a reason I’m not on regular BC). Heck, I’ve had to throw away condoms because they’re expired (and those were obtained free!), I do not want to have to do the same for a backup plan that may never be used and costs more. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-so-many-people-get-pregnant-from-condoms/503153/25 "2009-07-16T02:46:36Z")
> [@KarlGrenze](#): > > Depending on how sexually active a woman is, it may not be cost effective. Particularly if it, like many other drugs, comes with expiration date as well as a recommended/required storage guidelines. [http://www.go2planb.com/plan-b-pharmacists/faqs.aspx#9](http://www.go2planb.com/plan-b-pharmacists/faqs.aspx#9) > [@](#): > > 1. What is the shelf life of Plan B®? > > Plan B® expires 48 months after the date of manufacture. Doesn’t seem especially sensitive. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-so-many-people-get-pregnant-from-condoms/503153/26 "2009-07-16T03:03:21Z")
I screwed up the Emergency Contraception. I had been on Levlen but I have a shoddy memory and was worried that I wasn’t remembering to take my pill when I should so I decided to get the Implanon implant instead. That can’t be implanted until the first day of your period, so I had the script on my desk and was patiently waiting for my period to arrive to have it fitted (installed? implanted?). Anyway, I was aware that Levlen could be used for EC and after the condom broke I dug it out, looked up the instructions on the net and followed them > [@](#): > > Take 2 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 2 more pills 12 hours later: > Nordiol > Take 4 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 4 more pills 12 hours later: > Levlen Only… I took the wrong dose. I took 2 pills (as for Nordiol) instead of 4. I never even realised until I got the positive pregnancy test a month later and retraced my steps. I’m not sure which is more ironic: the fact that the Levlen was originally prescribed by a fertility specialist as the first step in the IVF process because I couldn’t get pregnant, or that I stopped using Levlen as birth control because I was worried I’d mess up my dose and get pregnant, and because of that I ended up using it for emergency birth control and messed up the dose and got pregnant… ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-so-many-people-get-pregnant-from-condoms/503153/27 "2009-07-16T03:34:03Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > All right, granted, in the old days there wasn’t too much you could do if one broke. But today it’s pretty obvious if one breaks–you’d think that the morning after pill could be obtained pretty easily, making the failure rate pretty low, no? Is it pretty obvious if one breaks? What if the bloke just throws it straight in the bin and you both go straight to sleep? My daughter was conceived despite condom usage, but I never actually worked out if the condom had broken or simply been used wrongly in one of the other ways mentioned in this thread - I simply know that condoms were always involved, and she turned up anyway. If you don’t know that your condom usage has failed in some way, then you’re not going to go for the morning-after pill. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-so-many-people-get-pregnant-from-condoms/503153/28 "2009-07-16T03:40:03Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > All right, granted, in the old days there wasn’t too much you could do if one broke. But today it’s pretty obvious if one breaks–you’d think that the morning after pill could be obtained pretty easily, making the failure rate pretty low, no? You’re assuming all condom failure is apparent. Small leaks and improper withdrawal can go undetected until the end of the month. Using a spermicidal foam or jelly with a condom is wise. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-so-many-people-get-pregnant-from-condoms/503153/29 "2009-07-16T03:41:03Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Is it pretty obvious if one breaks? What if the bloke just throws it straight in the bin and you both go straight to sleep? I’ve had one break. We both felt it snap, like a rubber band. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-so-many-people-get-pregnant-from-condoms/503153/30 "2009-07-16T03:48:13Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > I’ve had one break. We both felt it snap, like a rubber band. That doesn’t mean every break is like that, though. After all, it would only take a miniscule tear for the sperm to get through. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-so-many-people-get-pregnant-from-condoms/503153/31 "2009-07-16T03:57:28Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > That doesn’t mean every break is like that, though. After all, it would only take a miniscule tear for the sperm to get through. Yeah, well, they’re not made of silk. To tear latex rubber takes a fair amount stretching, and when it lets go, it snaps. ---
**Author:** ![Winsling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Winsling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winsling)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-so-many-people-get-pregnant-from-condoms/503153/32 "2009-07-16T03:58:36Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > I’ve had one break. We both felt it snap, like a rubber band. I wonder what the failure rate is for snapping a rubber band on one’s delicates. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-so-many-people-get-pregnant-from-condoms/503153/33 "2009-07-16T04:04:01Z")
But you wouldn’t feel it coming out afterward? (Semen I mean.) Or when he pulled out (I’ve always had the person pull out very carefully, grabbing the condom from the base), I look to see if it’s intact. It would have to be a really tiny tear, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-so-many-people-get-pregnant-from-condoms/503153/34 "2009-07-16T04:23:36Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > But the person in this scenario isn’t too lazy to pause and put a condom on. Well yeah, but I’m saying that if there exist people too lazy to do either, and there exist people with enough energy to be careful twice over, then there most likely exist people that are willing to use a condom but not get in the car, drive in the middle of the night, and spend money. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-so-many-people-get-pregnant-from-condoms/503153/35 "2009-07-16T04:25:13Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > How do so many people get pregnant from condoms Because they rely on them. > [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > It seems to range from about 10 to 18% per wiki. I’ve seen 17% quoted a lot but when googling I also saw 14%. > > ETA: That’s the practical use. The perfect use is 3%. And that is only for pregnancy prevention isn’t it ? Nothing said about additional failures leading to stds or failures with no consequences. The practical result of heavy smoking for 50 years is a 17 per cent chance of lung cancer. That is deemed completely unacceptable. I really don’t understand the preaching of condom use as the panacea for unwanted pregnancy and disease prevention without going into the high risk of failure. Like we do for smoking, we need to preach abstinence as well. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-so-many-people-get-pregnant-from-condoms/503153/36 "2009-07-16T04:40:03Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Yeah, well, they’re not made of silk. To tear latex rubber takes a fair amount stretching, and when it lets go, it snaps. Hmm, I’m not so sure about that. But it’s not something either of us can say for certain, I guess. There are still other ways for condom use to fail, as mentioned in this thread. I’m not sure, but I think I might have said ‘condom broke’ for my own situation before, when really all I know is that the condom failed; condom broke is just shorthand for ‘condom broke or something or other went wrong with it.’ > [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > But you wouldn’t feel it coming out afterward? (Semen I mean.) Or when he pulled out (I’ve always had the person pull out very carefully, grabbing the condom from the base), I look to see if it’s intact. It would have to be a really tiny tear, I suppose. I didn’t feel any semen coming out afterwards - I went straight to sleep. Most people, like me, probably don’t check condoms like that, since they assume they worked unless they have physical evidence (like a snapping sensation, say) to the contrary. Funnily enough, I was using other contraception too - I’d recently started taking the pill and the conception occurred the day after my period. Fertility is a complex beast. Also, although this was only eleven years ago, the morning after pill didn’t exist at the time. The morning after pill also has to be taken really soon in order to be effective. If it’s taken between 49 and 72 hours after the mistake, then [its effectiveness is just 58%.](http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/nov/24/gender.lifeandhealth) So perhaps some people with condom problems are, like that woman in the article, taking the morning after pill just a bit too late. Note that even the effectiveness rate for the pill taken within 24 hours is 95%, not 100%. Doubtless quite a few of the ‘condom broke’ conception explanations are outright lies, but the reason people tell that lie is that it does sometimes happen for real. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-so-many-people-get-pregnant-from-condoms/503153/37 "2009-07-16T06:49:12Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > [snip] > Also, although this was only eleven years ago, the morning after pill didn’t exist at the time. > [snip] Because 1984 is 11 years ago?😕 ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-so-many-people-get-pregnant-from-condoms/503153/38 "2009-07-16T10:31:39Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > [http://www.go2planb.com/plan-b-pharmacists/faqs.aspx#9Doesn’t](http://www.go2planb.com/plan-b-pharmacists/faqs.aspx#9Doesn't) seem especially sensitive. I’ve had to thrown away backup condoms, again. Those have an expiration date of YEARS. And I still had to throw them away. Considering how my activity varies wildly by year, season, location, I’m not inclined to buy a preventive morning after pill that may never be used. I’d rather allocate funds to other stuff in my life that I DO need or want, even more than sex. I’ve had partners who have noticed the condom broke and quickly changed to another one. I’ve never, ever heard any snapping or anything. They were the ones who noticed (and since they reaaaally didn’t want to get anybody pregnant, they were quick to act). If they hadn’t tell me, I wouldn’t have known. Which is one part of the morning after, if nobody realizes the condom broke/spillage happened, nobody is going to go get it, or even take it if they have it. I’m sure some women may have backup emergency pills. I’m not one of them. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-so-many-people-get-pregnant-from-condoms/503153/39 "2009-07-16T17:44:26Z")
> [@The\_Librarian](#): > > Because 1984 is 11 years ago?😕 It wasn’t available 11 years ago, to be more precise. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-so-many-people-get-pregnant-from-condoms/503153/40 "2009-07-16T17:51:55Z")
Recall, also, that a lot of dumbass guys leave a condom in the wallet or in the glovebox, both bad places for them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-so-many-people-get-pregnant-from-condoms/503153.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-so-many-people-get-pregnant-from-condoms/503153.md?page=3)