There are two ways to see how effective condoms are . They are method effectiveness , where how many couples that use the condom every time they have sex properly do not get pregnant are looked at ; and actual effectiveness , where the number of people that use condoms either correctly or incorrectly and do not get pregnant are looked at . Actual use , or typical use effectiveness rates are of all condom users , including those who use condoms incorrectly or do not use condoms at every act of intercourse .