This article was published on November 7th, 2018

If things get too hot and heavy during sex and love making, accidents can happen. While condoms are great for preventing the spread of sexually transmitted infections, they are not 100% full proof. And sometimes—not often—condoms break. If you are someone who still hasn’t jumped on the PrEP bandwagon and you have a condom break, there’s no need to freak out. Just follow this advice on what to do if the condom breaks—and you aren’t on PrEP!

1. Stay calm. Freaking out helps no one and doesn’t solve the fact that it happened. Breath and realize you have options.
2. Was the condom on the penis or did it break while inside you? If the condom is inside you, carefully pull it out by the ends, avoiding scratching or irritating the skin around it.
3. Whatever you do, don’t douche afterwards. Douching can cause microscopic holes inside you as well as flush out germ and disease fighting bacteria that occur naturally in your body.
4. T and sit on the toilet and bear down, pushing out any seminal fluid that might have escaped and entered the body.
5. Wash the exterior area with soap and water, gently, but don’t use abrasive wiping or hard disinfectant washes.
6. Discontinue sex if you think there was any exchange of bodily fluids between the two of you. Getting a new condom on will only help if there wasn’t this exchange.
7. If you think there is any concern of being exposed to HIV, contact your doctor to be put on Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), within less than 72 hours of the condom breaking.
8. Talk to your doctor about getting on PrEP so you have less to worry about in the future. PrEP reduces your chance of contracting HIV by up to 99%.
9. Get tested. Both partners should have a thorough STI check with their doctors just to have a peace of mind.
10. Remember that the chances of you actually contacting HIV, especially if your partner is undetectable or on PrEP themselves, is exponentially low, even if the condom breaks.

Here’s what you can do in the future to help guarantee you reduct having a scare in the future:

1. Always check the expiration date of the condom before you use it.
2. Make sure the condom is the correct size for the penis doing the penetrating.
3. Use plenty of water-based lubricant for sex.
4. Be gentle when opening the packaging and putting the condom on to avoid rips and tears.
5. Invest in good condoms and don’t rely on free condoms, especially if they are not a high quality brand name.
6. Get on PrEP. One pill a day can prevent HIV spreading. Most major cities in North America and Europe have government assisted programs to help offset the cost of PrEP to as low as $20 a month or even free.
7. Know and use your safer sex toolkit.