2 THINGS THAT CAN GO WRONG DURING SEX

1. The Condom Breaks

One of the smartest ways to handle a condom breaking—whether you find out in the heat of the moment or the morning after—is to “be emotionally prepared,” say Eric M. Garrison says, sex counselor and author of Mastering Multiple Position Sex. Translation: Talk about sex before you have it, specifically sexual history, STDs, and whether she’s on birth control.

We get that it can seem easier to jump into bed with someone than ask whether they’ve ever contracted gonorrhea. But bringing up awkward questions early is crucial to dialing down panic if something goes awry, Garrison says. Knowing whether your partner had or currently has an STD is important information that will equip you to handle mishaps by getting tested yourself or, if necessary, obtaining post-exposure antibiotic prophylaxis drugs to keep you free of disease.

2. You Enter the Wrong Hole

Hopefully by now you’ve let go of the belief that real sex Opens a New Window.  goes down just like it does in the movies. Contrary to the cinematic image of perfect soft lighting, no need for foreplay, and seamless, steamy sex Opens a New Window.  without any clean-up, real life sex has its fair share of awkward moments. Whether you accidentally bump heads, someone lets loose an embarrassing sound, or you botch an attempt at a new sex position Opens a New Window. , there's a whole side of sex that is too cringe to include in the movie fantasy. But real life is real life and we need to address that there's often an unspoken side effect to most of our human encounters.

To save you some future mortification—and to reassure you that you aren’t alone—we rounded up eight common things that can go wrong during sex and spoke with two sexual health experts about how to handle them.