Condom Effectiveness
Sex is fun, but brings with it the risk of unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases like HIV, syphilis and genital warts. By using a condom during sex, the risk of both is greatly reduced. Condoms are one of the most effective ways of keeping a woman from getting pregnant. Condoms have been used for centuries for safer sex.
Potential
Condoms are extremely strong for their size. They are able to carry a liter of water. Non-lubricated condoms are distributed among the armed forces not just for safe sex, but as an emergency water canteen. A non-lubricated condom is part of the United States Military Standard Issue Parachute Pack Survival Kit (SRU-16), first made in 1962.
Effects
According to the US Food and Drug Administration, the usual latex condom is 86 percent effective in keeping a woman from getting pregnant. Contrast this to the diaphragm, which has a mere 80 percent effectiveness. In stopping the spread of the Human Papilloma Virus, which 50 percent of the human population is thought to have, one 2007 study showed the use of a condom was 70 percent effective. See our Resources section for more information. In a 2000 study done by the National Institutes of Health, condoms were 85 percent effective in stopping the spread of AIDS from one person to another.
Warning
Condoms are far more effective when they're used in the way that they are meant to be used. Never reuse a condom. Don't open a condom wrapper with your teeth because you could tear the condom. Put on the condom as soon as you get an erection, because pre-ejaculate can form at the tip of the penis. Make sure there is a lot of lubrication to keep the condom from breaking. Hold onto the condom edges as you withdraw from your partner in order to keep the condom from slipping off.
Considerations
Condoms do break or leak, but this doesn't happen often. According to a 2000 National Institute of Health study, about 2 in 100 latex condoms break or leak. A random sample from each batch of condoms go through extensive testing. The tested condoms are not sold. The tests they go through include having to hold ten ounces of water, being sure that they do not conduct electricity and slicing part of the condom off to test how stretchy it is.
Types
Condoms are made from several different types of materials, including polyurethane and lambskin. But most studies and tests on condom effectiveness have been done with latex condoms. That's because latex condoms are the most common.
Misconceptions
Placing two condoms on, one over top of the other, is not recommended. This does not give you double the protection. It usually means that the second condom will wind up pulling both of them off during the act of sex.
Tags: latex condoms, percent effective, break leak, condom from, condom percent, condom percent effective