If a condom should break or slip off inside your partner, then stop having sex immediately and use a new condom. If a condom rips during vaginal sex, then the female partner can still use emergency contraception within five days to avoid a pregnancy, but the sooner she takes it, the more effective it is.

If either you or your partner knows that you are HIV positive and the condoms rips, then go to an emergency room and ask for "post-exposure HIV prophylaxis." There is no guarantee that they will give it to you, but it is worth asking for it! If taken properly, the drugs can prevent infection by keeping the HIV virus from spreading beyond a few exposed cells.

The most common reasons a condom slips off or breaks are:

• it was put on incorrectly
• it was old (the expiration date passed)
• it was exposed to high temperatures or ripped wherever it was stored (for example, in a purse with manicure scissors in it!)

If you experience condom failure, it is time to review the steps to how to use a condom to make sure it doesn't happen again.

And get the 411 on emergency contraception, which can prevent pregnancy if taken within five days of unprotected intercourse. Click here for more information.