We use condoms and birth control. But I use the Depo shot. The pill gave me a slew of hormonal problems.
My sister relies solely on her Depo.
And I know people who use only condoms but they never explained why. My cousin used a condom but it popped and she’s got a little one now but no job and her boyfriend/fiance was shot, so she’s just on welfare and gets help from our family. It’s one of those situations where “oh, ok, we can keep a baby” and then one day, everything goes topsy turvy and she’s barely living.
Not using a condom makes me uncomfortable because I think the physical barrier is a very helpful way to keep my mind at ease. Not using birth control makes me uncomfortable because of condom breakage, which has happened a number of times to me.
If you’re comfortable with the idea of possibly having a child, I’d say go for it. But if you accidentally have a child and you wouldn’t be able to handle keeping it, I’d recommend trying other birth control methods to see if they have fewer side effects. If you don’t want to ever have a child of your own, you could always go for tube tying or getting your guy a vasectomy.