Condoms are messy, clunky and not well known for being fun to work with. We all have that moment, when you’re waiting in line at the drugstore trying to hide the box of condoms in your hand, praying you will get the young cashier not the 65-year-old grandmother who will give you that “look of disappointment.”
Let’s face it, to most men the thought of condoms isn’t a happy one. The effort and time to put one on can ruin the mood, and who likes wrapping plastic around their tool? Here’s the thing though, unless you are willing to have a baby or sexually transmitted infection (STI) then you have to put up with the slight diminishing of sensation.
Condoms are 98 percent effective against pregnancy when used correctly. They also significantly protect against STIs. Maybe herpes or gonorrhea don’t make you uneasy, but condoms are the best protection against HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and the HPV virus, which leads to cervical cancer in women. However, even with all the benefits of condoms, there are still some common misconceptions out there.
The first myth is that more condoms are better. This one is a classic myth–if you want to really prevent pregnancy, then two condoms are better than one, right? Wrong. Actually, you are increasing your risk for pregnancy and STIs if you try out this bad advice. The reason is that sex is a high friction activity.
Normally a condom is your friend and can handle the friction, however when you stack them on top of each other the friction causes the latex to rub against itself and eventually tear both condoms apart.
A second common misconception is that condoms should fit tightly, meaning there should be no spaces between the condom and your member. A study done by the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States found that 33 percent of females who have had sex believed this and 40 percent of males who have had sex believed this. That means that almost half of the men in the study believed this myth.
The space at the tip is there for a reason, to relieve pressure. If you don’t leave a space, then the moment you have been waiting for will turn into an “uh oh” moment. According to Men’s Health magazine, men ejaculate at the speed of 28 mph and if there is nowhere for your swimmers to go, they will just bust through the wall of the condom.
The third myth is that ultra thin condoms are less safe. Every man has that moment of buying those ultra thin condoms wondering if it is a risk they are willing to take. Well, the good news is that there is no risk. Ultra thin or extra thin condoms all go through the same standards of testing as regular condoms. Meaning they pass the exact same lab tests and quality standards as the regular, thicker condoms.
So men, you have no excuses. Condoms are essential tools for safe sex, for both you and your partner. It takes some experimenting and testing out the different brands and types to see which suit you best. So get out there and try them all