How To Tell If He’s Wearing The Wrong Protection Size & Why It’s So Important

The importance of condoms for safe sex has been drilled into us since Sex Ed, but we don’t often talk about proper sizing. Many guys choose larger ones than they need, which is dangerous because it can put you at risk of STDs and unwanted pregnancies. You can’t always rely on your partner to know the right condom for him, so here are 12 signs he needs a different size so you can protect yourself and have amazing sex.

  1. It slips/doesn’t stay in place. When he puts the condom on, it should roll easily down the shaft of his penis. If it’s slipping or keeps coming off, it’s too big for him and he needs a smaller size. He shouldn’t feel bad about that. Condom store Lucky Bloke surveyed over 3,500 people in 28 countries found that 35% of men need a condom that’s smaller than the average size. The average condom size is 7.5 inches in length, which will fit men who are between 5.1 inches and 6.5 inches when erect. For the record, the average erection size is around 5.56 inches.
  2. He winces when wearing it. Don’t just look at his penis, look at his facial expression. If the guy’s wincing like he’s stubbed his toe while putting on the condom, it could be that the condom’s too tight and making him feel uncomfortable. Condoms shouldn’t be painful to wear.
  3. He loses his erection often. Don’t take it personally—if he’s trying to get the condom on but he keeps losing his erection, the condom size could be to blame! If it’s too tight, this could lead to discomfort that kills the mood. This can easily be solved by getting the proper size for his penis.
  4. You notice marks on his skin when the condom is removed. If you roll the condom down onto his penis and notice a line in his skin, that’s not normal. It means the condom’s digging into his skin because it’s way too small for him. He should go up a size, which will probably be music to his ears.
  5. It doesn’t reach the base of his penis. If he puts the condom on and it looks like it fits well but doesn’t reach all the way to the base of his penis, it’s too short and it’s not going to properly protect you against STDs or pregnancy. It also puts you at risk of STDs that occur from skin-to-skin contact such as genital warts.
  6. There’s a thick band at the base of his penis. On the other hand, there might be a long band of latex that’s formed at the base of his penis. This is a sign that his condom’s too long for him. It won’t feel comfortable during sex for either of you and it could roll down, exposing his bare skin to yours and increasing your risk for disease or pregnancy.
  7. It hurts during sex. If you haven’t checked out his condom size before having sex and you feel something pinch you inside during sex, a condom that’s too big could be to blame. It’s slipping a lot and bunching up, which is the reason for your discomfort. Ouch!
  8. There’s too much condom. If the condom looks like it’s wrinkling and bunching up, sorry to say but the condom’s too big for him. There’s nothing wrong with suggesting he move down a size. In fact, your safety and comfort depends on it.
  9. His semen doesn’t stay in. If you’re worried that the condom he has on is too big for him, you should ask him to masturbate with it on so you can see if his semen stays inside the condom or not when he ejaculates. If it doesn’t, the condom definitely is too big for him and he needs to downsize.
  10. It takes him a few tries to get it on. It’s not the first time in his life that he’s put a condom on, so why is he struggling so much with it? It could be that the condom’s too small for him and he has to break a sweat to put it on. Whenever the condom doesn’t slide down nicely, it’s a sign that the size is wrong. Toss that condom and get another one that’s the right size.
  11. You try to judge his size on sight. If your task is to bring the condoms, the best thing to do is ask him what condoms fit him best so that you prevent any awkward or uncomfortable situations. Don’t think that you can tell his penis size by checking his shoe or finger size or how he’s built. That’s just a recipe for disaster. Even if you’ve seen pictures of him naked, you can’t choose the right condom size according to that. Some guys are growers rather than showers, after all, which will change the condom game. Your best bet is to ask him straight up what condom size he uses and follow the above tips to make sure he wasn’t lying to inflate his ego.

One of the easiest ways to tell what size condom your guy needs is by doing the “cardboard tube test.” Basically, this means getting a cardboard tube from a roll of toilet paper and placing it over his erect penis. If there’s lots of room in the tube, he’ll need a small condom. If there’s just enough space and the tube doesn’t feel tight around your boyfriend’s penis, he needs a medium-sized condom. If there’s no space between his penis and the tube and it feels tight, he needs a large.

Giulia Simolo is a writer from Johannesburg, South Africa with a degree in English Language and Literature. She has been working as a journalist for more than a decade, writing for sites including AskMen, Native Interiors, and Live Eco. You can find out more about her on Facebook and LinkedIn, or follow her on Twitter @GiuliaSimolo.
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