14 DAY TRIAL // There isn't any other way which is more efficient in impeding sexually transmissible diseases (STDs) like chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV. And it is the best solution for casual sex for impeding unwanted pregnancies. Still, convincing men and women to use condoms consistently and correctly is still a tricky issue.
Men often complain that condoms do not fit, or they are uncomfortable.
A new Indiana University research discovered that in the case of subjects who reported problems with the size and the way they feel condoms, they were also more likely to experience condoms breaking and slipping.
"Most recent research has focused on how people use condoms with little attention to the physical characteristics of condoms themselves," said Michael Reece, director of the Sexual Health Research Working Group and an associate professor in Indiana University Bloomington's Department of Applied Health Science.
"Our recent research, however, indicates that sizes and shapes of the penis vary widely, but the range of condom sizes is rather limited; so it could very well be the case that there are aspects of the traditional condom that some men find too tight or too loose, influencing their ability or desire to use them during sexual encounters."
Reece's team made a questionnaire trying to identify men's problems with the condoms. 21 % reported that condoms felt too tight; 18 % reported that condoms felt too short; 10 % reported that condoms felt too loose; and 7 % reported that condoms felt too long.
The questionnaires could also be used by physicians and healthcare practitioners, especially those involved in HIV, STI and pregnancy prevention programs.
"Our 'Condom Fit and Feel Scale' offers a way for men to express in a confidential way to health care providers the exact concerns that they have with condoms related to length, width and tightness or looseness," said Debby Herbenick, associate director of SHRWG and research associate in the Department of Applied Health Science.
The researchers said their Condom Fit and Feel Scale could help condom manufacturers, who focus on the development of more comfortable condoms, with the final goal of a more effective use.