If a condom broke during sex, you have a short window to act. The most time-sensitive step is preventing pregnancy (if that’s a concern), followed by addressing STI risk. Here’s exactly what to do, in order of urgency.
Remove the Condom
If part of the condom is still inside the vagina, take a few deep breaths and reach inside with a clean finger. You can try squatting or putting one leg up on the toilet and bearing down with your pelvic muscles to push it closer to the opening. It may feel slippery, so you might need two fingers to grip and gently pull it out. If you can’t reach it, a healthcare provider can remove it quickly.
Don’t douche or use any harsh cleaning products internally. This won’t reduce pregnancy or STI risk and can actually push fluids further in or irritate tissue. Urinating afterward is fine and can help flush bacteria from the urethra, which may lower the chance of a urinary tract infection.
Preventing Pregnancy
Emergency contraception works best the sooner you take it. You have up to 5 days, but effectiveness drops with each passing day. There are three main options.
Over-the-Counter Pills (Levonorgestrel)
This is the most accessible option, sold without a prescription at most pharmacies under brand names like Plan B. It works similarly to regular hormonal birth control by delaying ovulation. It’s most effective within the first 3 days after unprotected sex, with pregnancy rates climbing noticeably at days 4 and 5.
One important limitation: levonorgestrel-based pills become significantly less effective at higher body weights. Research shows the pills appear to hit a ceiling of effectiveness around 155 pounds (70 kg) and may offer little to no protection for people weighing 176 pounds (80 kg) or more. People with a BMI over 30 had more than four times the risk of pregnancy compared to those with a normal BMI. If this applies to you, a different option will be more reliable.
Prescription Pill (Ulipristal Acetate)
Sold as ella, this requires a prescription but maintains stronger effectiveness through all 5 days after unprotected sex. Within the first 3 days, it performs similarly to levonorgestrel. After day 3, it’s clearly the better pill option. Some telehealth services and pharmacies can get you a prescription the same day.
IUD Placement
The most effective emergency contraception is getting an IUD placed within 5 days. The copper IUD has been the traditional choice, preventing pregnancy in over 99.9% of cases when used as emergency contraception. A 2021 trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that hormonal IUDs (the 52-mg levonorgestrel type) performed comparably: pregnancy occurred in just 1 out of 317 participants in the hormonal group and 0 out of 321 in the copper group. Either IUD then doubles as your ongoing birth control for years. This is the strongest option if you weigh more than 155 pounds or if it’s been more than 3 days since the condom broke.
Understanding Your Actual Pregnancy Risk
Not every condom failure leads to pregnancy. The chance of conception from a single act of unprotected sex depends heavily on where you are in your menstrual cycle. There’s roughly a 25% chance that any given act of intercourse falls within the fertile window at all.
Even on the highest-risk day (around day 13 of a typical cycle), the probability of pregnancy from a single exposure is about 9.7%. During the first few days of a period or the last week before the next one, the odds drop below 1%. This doesn’t mean you should skip emergency contraception, especially if you don’t track your cycle closely or have irregular periods. But it can help put the situation in perspective while you take the right steps.
Addressing STI Risk
If there’s any chance your partner has an STI, or if you don’t know their status, a condom breaking means you were exposed. The most time-sensitive concern is HIV.
HIV: The 72-Hour Window
If your partner is HIV-positive or their status is unknown and the encounter was higher risk (anal or vaginal sex), post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) can prevent HIV infection. PEP is a 28-day course of antiviral medication that must be started within 72 hours of exposure. The sooner you start, the better it works. Go to an urgent care clinic, emergency room, or sexual health clinic and explain the situation. They can evaluate your risk and prescribe PEP the same visit.
Other STIs
For bacterial infections like chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis, there’s no preventive medication to take right away. Instead, plan to get tested, but not immediately. Tests taken too soon after exposure will come back negative even if you were infected, because the organisms haven’t multiplied enough to detect. Here’s when testing becomes accurate:
- Chlamydia and gonorrhea: 1 week catches most infections, 2 weeks catches nearly all
- Syphilis: 1 month catches most, 3 months catches nearly all
- HIV (blood test): 2 weeks catches most, 6 weeks catches nearly all
- HIV (oral swab): 1 month catches most, 3 months catches nearly all
A practical approach is to get an initial screening at 2 weeks for chlamydia and gonorrhea, then follow up at 6 weeks or 3 months for syphilis and HIV to be thorough.
Symptoms to Watch For
Many STIs cause no symptoms at all, which is why testing matters regardless of how you feel. But if symptoms do appear, here’s what to look for and when they typically show up. Chlamydia symptoms, if they occur, usually start 5 to 14 days after exposure and can include painful urination, lower abdominal pain, or unusual discharge. Gonorrhea tends to appear faster, often within 5 to 10 days, with similar symptoms. Herpes sores typically show up within 12 days. Syphilis starts as a small, painless, firm sore at the site of infection, usually appearing around 3 weeks after exposure.
If you notice any of these, get tested and treated promptly. Many of these infections are easily curable with antibiotics when caught early.
Take a Pregnancy Test at 3 Weeks
If you used emergency contraception (or even if you didn’t), take a home pregnancy test 3 weeks after the incident. This gives enough time for pregnancy hormones to reach detectable levels. Emergency contraception can shift your next period by a few days in either direction, so don’t rely on your period arriving on schedule as proof it worked.
Preventing Future Breakage
Condom breakage is often caused by fixable mistakes. The biggest culprit is using the wrong lubricant. Oil-based substances, including baby oil, coconut oil, petroleum jelly, body lotion, and cooking oil, degrade latex and dramatically increase the chance of tearing. A study of men who have sex with men found a breakage rate of 10.3% with oil-based lubricants compared to just 1.7% with water-based ones. If you use latex condoms, stick to water-based or silicone-based lubricants.
Other common causes include storing condoms in hot places (like a car glove box or wallet pressed against your body), using expired condoms, not leaving space at the tip when putting one on, and using a size that’s too tight. Research across multiple countries found that breakage rates varied widely and were more closely linked to user behavior than to manufacturing defects. Checking the expiration date, using the right lube, and making sure the fit is correct go a long way.