It’s your worst nightmare: you’re having sex with your BF when he pulls out and the condom’s not on his penis anymore. It’s disappeared in your vagina somewhere. WTF? It’s scary AF to experience a lost condom, especially if you’re not on birth control and/or you and your partner haven’t been tested for STIs, but don’t panic. Do this instead.
- Have a glass of wine. The most important thing to do when a condom’s stuck inside your vagina is to relax. It’s hard to chill when you’re stressed AF but you need to try. You can’t fish the condom out if you’re clenching your muscles and feeling tense. Bear in mind that a condom can’t get lost in your body. It might become lodged at the top of the vaginal canal but it can’t go any further than that. When you’re chill, try these things.
- Strategy one: Try lying back on the bed and inserting one or two fingers into your vagina. If you can feel the condom, try to pull it out gently. It’ll help to have lube on your fingers to make this less uncomfortable. Maybe some relaxing music in the background will also help to make you take your time and chill during the process.
- Strategy two: Get your boyfriend to fish out the condom for you. Why’s he just standing there anyway? It might be easier for him to try to get the condom out, especially because he can sit lower down on the bed where he has greater access to your vagina and he’s probably calmer than you are.
- Strategy three: Squat like you would during gym class, with your feet flat on the ground, and bear down. Now, use your fingers to try to reach the condom. It might even help to squat over the toilet as if you were peeing, as this could make it easier and help you balance better. Remember to make a hook-like shape with your fingers so that it’s easier to get hold of the condom and drag it out.
- Strategy four: Lie back on the bed againbut this time, raise your legs and move them around, which can help to push the condom out. It might also help to get into the birthing position. No, really. Bend your knees and bring them as close to your body as you can, then push as if you were giving birth. Your boyfriend’s not allowed to laugh at you right now.
- Don’t use anything other than your fingers. Seriously, you don’t want to give yourself more problems, like an injury or infection from using a foreign object. Ugh. It’s fingers or nothing, and always make sure your nails are clean and short so you don’t scratch yourself. Same goes for your BF.
- Once you get it out, celebrate! Phew, what a relief to get that condom out, right? But in your happiness, don’t forget to check the condom once you’ve pulled it out of your vagina before throwing it away. You want to make sure that it’s come out in one piece and there’s no part missing that could still be trapped inside you, such as if the condom burst during sex.
- Still not coming out? If, despite your best efforts, the condom’s still stuck inside you or pieces of it are, it’s time to head to the ER or your doctor—and hurry. You don’t want to leave the condom inside you for longer than a few hours because it can cause bacterial infections and it’s not going to just fall out.
- The doc will seriously help you out. The doctor will likely insert a speculum into your vagina, which is like a long tweezer, to gently pull out the condom. This is especially useful if the condom’s trapped at the top of the vaginal canal. It’s not a scary experience and better to get it done than leave that thing in there. Ew!
- Don’t forget to get tested. If the condom got stuck inside you, it could’ve leaked pre-ejaculate or ejaculate into your vagina, putting you at risk of STIs. Ugh. Even if the condom comes out in one piece, it still could’ve dripped fluids inside you, so if you and your partner haven’t been tested for STIs, now’s the time to do it.
- Get onto emergency birth control. If you’re on birth control, great. You can heave a sigh of relief and get another glass of wine—you deserve it, girl. If you’re not on birth control, ask your doctor for emergency contraceptive to prevent unwanted pregnancies from this condom faux pas.
- Prevent it from happening again in future. You don’t want a repeat performance of this drama, so next time make sure you’re more careful. Common reasons why condoms get stuck is if they’re too loose or tight on the guy, causing them to break, burst, or slip off during sex. Choose the right size for him so that in future you can both end your sex session with bliss instead of bickering.
