Sexpert — Oct. 2, 2008 - The Princetonian

When I was at the street last Thursday, I met this girl. We spent most of the night just talking, and I really like her. We met up for coffee this week, and things are starting to get serious. We aren’t anything official, but I am beginning to think that if something happens this weekend, I want to be prepared. That’s kind of where my problem is: I don’t know how much experience she has, but I’m still a virgin, and I really don’t want to show up and somehow do something really stupid like use the condom wrong or break it. Is there anything I should watch out for?

Thanks,

Condom-Frosh

Dear Condom-Frosh,

It’s great to hear that you want to be prepared in case anything happens this weekend. If you and the girl you mentioned are both ready to have sex, here are some things to keep in mind.

To be prepared, have a condom handy, but don’t keep in it your wallet or pocket because your body heat may decrease its effectiveness. You can get free condoms from McCosh Health Center, Sexual Health Advisers, RCAs or the LGBT Center, which has some really cool flavored ones.

If you use the condom, check the expiration date. DO NOT try to be ultra-cool and rip the condom wrapper off with your teeth. Though some girls might like it, others might find you kind of weird. Also, if you rip the wrapper and accidently rip the condom, you’re out of luck because it won’t work anymore. Moral of the story: Open the condom with your fingers.

When you’re putting on the condom, place it over the tip of the hard penis. MAKE SURE that you have the condom in the right direction. If you put it on and realize that the condom won’t roll down, you have it on backwards, and you have to get a new one because there may be pre-ejaculate on the outside of the condom. Be sure to leave a half-inch space at the tip to collect the semen, or it may explode. Pinch the air out of the tip with one hand and unroll the condom to the base of the penis. Smooth out the air bubbles so they don’t cause friction, which can cause the condom to break. If you want to use any lube, be sure to use water-based ones since the oil-based ones can also cause the condom to break.