What’s The Risk Of Using Expired Condoms Just For The Easier Clean Up Factor?

As a sexual health educator my immediate rection was DON’T USE EXPIRED CONDOMS!

But then I started thinking more about this.

Condoms are usually recommended for two things. They’re recommended for either pregnancy prevention and/or prevention of the transmission of STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections).

Given that you’ve addressed the pregnancy issue with both a vasectomy and an IUD, I would say pregnancy prevention is not an issue for you!

And I’m guessing that you’re not worried about STI transmission. If you are then don’t  use the expired condoms.

When people use expired condoms, they put themselves at risk of there being tiny tears in the condom. It’s not like the condom will break in a big dramatic fashion like a rubber band snapping. That might only happen if   it’s really expired or is brittle from being stored in a hot place.

What will happen is that there will be very tiny tears in the material. These tears are too small for you to see, but big enough to allow semen to get through.

If there’s any doubt in your mind about STI transmission or the possibility of pregnancy, then definitely use a condom that isn’t expired!

So if you’re in a situation where you’re not worried about STIs and/or pregnancy, I would say go ahead and use the expired condoms for the cleanup factor. There’s no risk other than the condom breaking and the clean up being a little more than you were expecting.

The one thing to keep in mind is if the condom is lubricated. If the expired condom is a lubricated one, then the lube may have dried up and you may need to add more lube.

And for the person who submitted the question, thanks for challenging me to think about condoms outside of the regular disease and pregnancy prevention lens.

Until next time, be safe and have fun!

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