Condom advice

[Annwen]

Coming off the Pill after several years at the end of this month and going to be using condoms while my cycles settle down before ttc for first baby. Haven't used condoms since my single days though, when I generally went with whatever my date had with him, and was thinking if any of you (from the lady's point of view especially) have any recommendations from the ever increasing variety choice there seems to be nowadays! Perhaps something that makes it feel better for you. We want to enjoy lovemaking as much as we can while we wait to ttc.

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If you've found this page in search of condoms that have been tried and tested by fellow Mumsnet users, you might find our guide to the best condoms useful. Hope this helps! MNHQ

While waiting for hubby's snip to take affect we just brought a box full from Bondara, the cheapest we could find for the amount otherwise they are sooooo expansive. Didnt change a thing for us, they were flavoured ones but wouldnt bother with that so cant tell you how they tasted LOL

Dare I ask....do you need to use condoms at all? As you know, if you’re coming off the pill after a few years, it can take some people a little while to conceive. Will be nicer/ more enjoyable without the condoms.
Please don’t DM me if you get pregnant in the first month 😉
@justwannahavefun - I agree, I couldn’t believe how expensive condoms had become!

I think condoms can still be obtained free from Family Planning. To be honest they seem to be much of a muchness. The thinner ones which you would think would be better seem to bunch up more and disrupt the normal rhythm. You probably need to experiment a bit. Durex real feel seem as good as any.

Non-latex ones are nicer in almost every way except cost.

This isn’t from the lady’s point of view, but I’d recommend trying a variety of sizes to see which is most comfortable for the man. Most men are probably using the wrong size. Pasante is a good brand, some v good prices via Amazon (if you are ok using Amazon).

Not being a fan of hormonal contraception and for sexual health benefits, l’ve been a condom user most of my adult life.

From a female perspective, l don’t think you will notice much difference from one brand to another. I just pop a couple of boxes of whatever is on offer into the supermarket trolly.

Your partner my find a preference, but that is really a case of trial and error.

Finally, a word about flavoured condoms as they were mentioned earlier. They can be quite fun to put on with your mouth (watch your teeth!) but they taste rather disgusting! Sugar also can upset the delicate ph balance of the vagina. Worse still for me, mint flavour leaves a burning sensation inside you; never again.

Thanks for all your comments so far. @Whatliesbeneath707 I get what you say about going with nothing straightaway. I guess I'm just following what a couple of my (now pregnant) friends did. But we'll have a talk about it. I guess since I was a regular condom user for several years before we got together, they don't bother me as much as they seem to do for some people.
@StarlightLady Don't really fancy flavoured ones really. Tried Durex Tingle once - but didn't like the sensation inside me at all, so won't go for anything like that. And yea, I've done the putting it on with my mouth bit if the guy was up for it :-)
And partner's comfort will also be considered of course!

£1 per condom, sex has never been so expensive! I was 😯 at the price of durex.

Husband booked in for the snip. Save us a fortune!

We get our condoms from Savers shops - Pasante are about £3.50 for 12. Durex a bit more. We generally use the king size (easy to put on) although we have also tried the Durex Thin with extra lube and I think these are the best for both of us but I can't get the things on because they are quite tight on my hubby - he has to do it himself and it can take a minute or so. Some might find the "lost" minute a passion killer although I have to admit that I administer some self stimulation in that minute so that nothing is wasted!

@toetickle We've had a big box of Durex Thin Feel on hand in case of missed pill etc and we have a few of them left so we'll start there I think.
And I've never been bothered by the stop to put the condom on. In my dating days, if I wasn't putting it on the guy myself, I'd normally carry on snogging or whatever we were doing while he put it on. One guy had this knack of putting it on while tonguing me then it was just straight in. Fantastic!