Doctor's Advice: Can a condom get lost during sex?

Q: Doc, we need your urgent advice. Three days ago we were having sex and I was using a condom. We continued for around 20 minutes and it was great.

When we had finished, however, I suddenly realised that I was not wearing that condom anymore. In other words, it was still somewhere inside her. Neither of us could find it. This was pretty frightening.

Well, it has still not appeared, and my girlfriend is worried. So I have three questions for you:

1. Can a condom just 'get lost' inside a girl - like, in her womb?

2. Would it do any harm to leave it inside her?

3. Because the condom came off, is there any risk of pregnancy?

Your advice would be appreciated.

A: This problem of the condom 'falling off' is quite common. What usually happens is that during sexual intercourse, it gradually moves forward a little. Then after the guy climaxes and his penis starts to shrink a little, it gets looser.

Very often, it then comes off his organ while he is pulling out of the vagina. After that, it remains inside the young lady, up in the innermost part of the vaginal cavity.

To answer your three questions:

1. No, a condom cannot get totally lost inside a female because it can't get beyond the vagina, so it doesn't enter the womb. What usually happens is that it kind of hides in the top part of the vagina, which is next to the cervix.

2. Yes, it definitely would do her harm as I shall explain in a moment.

3. Yes, there is a real risk of pregnancy because the condom spills the guy's 'seed' into the uppermost region of the lady's vagina.

Now, young couples should take note of the fact that a condom which has been left inside a woman will harm her health. It will irritate her delicate tissues and probably cause an infection. She will most likely develop a distressing and foul-smelling discharge.

This, therefore, has to be regarded as a medical emergency. Someone has to take action to get that condom out of your girlfriend. It is vital that the young lady goes to see a doctor during the next couple of days.

The doctor can use a special instrument to look inside the vagina and find the missing condom. She can then employ a pair of surgical forceps to get hold of the condom, and draw it out. By the way, this isn't painful.

After that, everything should be OK. There is, however, still a real risk of pregnancy because some of your sperm could have found its way up into your girlfriend's womb.

I am afraid that it is now too late to use Postinor, so you will just have to hope that your girlfriend is not pregnant and that her menses will arrive on time.

In general, in order to avoid this 'condom-loss' problem, there are two things which all young men can do:

• Make sure you buy condoms that are the right size for you. Don't buy brands which are so big that they 'flap around' on you.

• Whenever you pull out of a lady at the end of sex, you should take great care to reach down with your hand and hold the condom on to your organ. It is usually best to employ your forefinger and thumb.

Finally, I hope this episode will work out OK for you and your girlfriend. She will have been quite frightened by what has happened, so please take care of her.

 

Q: I am a 19-year-old female. When I was going to high school (about grade eight), I was told that I had a hormone problem.

Now, I am sexually active with my boyfriend, but I have not seen my period for a year and a couple of months. My boyfriend does not know this, but he is aware that I am taking hormonal family planning.

What can I do to get my period back again?

A: I think that taking 'hormonal family planning' at the moment is just confusing the situation.

What you should do pretty urgently is to see a doctor who can examine you and do some tests. I hope she will be able to tell you why your menses are missing.

Maybe you do have a hormone problem - like Polycystic Ovary Syndrome - or it could just be that you are anaemic (weak-blooded). Please see your doctor.

 

Q: I am a guy of 20. Doc, I woke up in the middle of the night and reached out for an aspirin because I had a headache. Unfortunately, I managed to take one of my fianceÈ's contraceptive Pills instead of the aspirin. Will this do me any harm, Doctor?

A: One Pill will not harm you, but please do NOT make a habit of it - unless you wish to start singing soprano.

 

Q: I have had yeast infection where I get white, smelly discharge. I went to a doctor, and I got some tablets to insert inside me.

That cleared things up for a little while, but then it came back. Please advise.

A: Yeast (or thrush) is often hard to eradicate in young women. You need to keep on using the vaginal tablets and some anti-yeast vaginal cream as well.

Your boyfriend should use the cream too - three times for the day. This is because couples often keep re-infecting each other with yeast.

If these measures do not work, ask your doctor about taking an oral capsule called Diflucan.

 

Q: As a guy of 17, I am wondering if I have reached puberty yet? I am very interested in girls. I get good erections and I sometimes masturbate.

But I don't have much body hair and I rarely need to shave.

I think my genitals are of normal size, but on cool days, my penis does seem a little small. Should I have hormone tests on the blood?

A: From what you say, I am quite sure that you have passed through puberty and are on course to becoming a normal adult man.

But if you are still fretting, it would do no harm to ask a doctor to put you on the couch and check you out. I am very doubtful, however, that if it would be worth the trouble and expense of having hormone tests.

 

Q: My new boyfriend, who is 10 years older than me, wants to tie me up with ropes and handcuff me before having sex. He says he doesn't want to have intercourse unless I am restrained.

Is this OK, Doc?

A: I sense potential trouble here. Quite a lot of people are into mild bondage, which usually involves such things as tying each other's wrists to the bedposts. But this guy doesn't seem to be able to have sex unless you are tied up.

This suggests that he is so heavily into ropes and chains that life with him could get real difficult and maybe dangerous. You don't want to end up injured or choked to death!

My advice is to find a next boyfriend.

- Email questions to Doc at saturdaylife@gleanerjm.com and read more in the 'Outlook Magazine' tomorrow.