Lesson 1: Begin at the Beginning
Male and Female Condoms

Male Condoms

Just how long have condoms been around? The answer might surprise you. Most people think that condoms have been around and in use for a few hundred years, but they are wrong. On a cave wall in France is a painting of a man using a condom. This painting is between 12,000 and 15,000 years old, so condoms have been around for thousands of years, not hundreds. Condoms have been made out of a variety of materials over the years including linen, animal intestines, oiled paper, latex, and polyurethane. Currently only latex, polyurethane, and animal tissue condoms are available on the US market, but only the latex condoms have been shown to be effective in preventing the spread of STDs.

Condoms work by preventing the sperm from entering the uterus and meeting the egg. Some condoms have spermicide on them, which kills the sperm as well as blocking it. A condom will not work if it is not applied correctly. A condom should be applied before sexual contact to the erect penis. The condom should be carefully removed from the package, and placed on the top of the erect penis. Before rolling the condom down, the top should be pinched closed, making sure that no air is in the end of the condom. While pinching the end of the condom, carefully roll down the rest of the condom so that it covers the entire penis. During sexual intercourse or contact, the condom should be occasionally checked to make sure it has not slipped or broken. The condom should be held at the base of the penis during withdrawal, this helps to prevent accidental spillage of the sperm. The condom should be thrown away, and a new condom used for each and every sexual act.

There are several different types of condoms: from colors to shapes, flavors to sizes, and scents to materials. Recently different colors, flavors, and even scented condoms have been introduced to the markets. This has been done by a variety of condom manufacturers to assist with condom popularity and usage. But there is more to condoms than what meets the eye. Different sizes are available as more and more condom manufactures realize that this is a wanted feature. But size is not all there is to see in different brands. Some companies offer different shapes and thicknesses as well.

With perfect use (meaning that a condom is always used correctly for each sexual act), condoms are 98% effective in preventing pregnancy. However, with typical use (meaning that they are not always used, or are not used correctly), condoms are closer to 86% effective.

Female Condoms

Female condoms were first available in 1992. Currently there is only one brand of female condom available in the United States, the 'Reality' condom. The female condom is a polyurethane tube, closed at one end with a ring and polyurethane, and with a second ring at the opening. It covers the entire vagina and part of the vaginal opening.

Because the female condom completely covers the vagina, it not only protects against pregnancy, but also helps to prevent the transmission of STDs.

With perfect use, female condoms are 95% effective in preventing pregnancy. Typical use rates are about 79% effective, meaning that the female condom was not used correctly, or with each sexual act.

Pros and Cons of Male and Female Condom Use

The only real con to using either male or female condoms is the slim possibility of a latex allergy. Condoms have several pros; protects against STD transmission, protects against pregnancy, no prescription needed to use them, fully reversible, and depending on how often used they are fairly inexpensive.