Are Condoms Always Effective?

When used correctly every time you have sex, male condoms are 98% effective. This means 2 out of 100 people will become pregnant in 1 year when male condoms are used as contraception. You can get free condoms from contraception clinics, sexual health clinics and some GP surgeries.

How often do condoms fail?

The failure rate of condoms in couples which use them consistently and correctly is estimated to be about 3% during the first year of use. However, the true failure rate during that time period is estimated to be about 14%. This marked difference of failure rates reflects usage error.

Is it possible to get pregnant while using condoms?

But people aren't perfect, so in real life condoms are about 85% effective — that means about 15 out of 100 people who use condoms as their only birth control method will get pregnant each year. The better you are about using condoms correctly every time you have sex, the better they'll work.