Want to have sex in the shower? Forget that. Want spur of the moment sex anywhere in the house? Not unless you want to carry some condoms with you all the time. etc.
I hate condoms, but I hate the idea of being a father more.
But it's not so much about the shape, it's about the consistency, sensibility of the surface and the fact that the outer skin is not simulated in those models and it makes it harder to apply the condom.
I've never had a condom break or leak in 20 years of sexual activity. I tend to think of them as pretty much unbreakable. Maybe I've luckily chosen only good quality condoms in all that time? (Mostly Durex Extra Sensitive, but I try new ones all the time, in hopes of finding something better.)
- Comes in few sizes, beyond that, you're in 'specialty shops' territory. (Really, I don't care about shapes, flavours, bells and whistles, I care that it fits!)
This is absolutely valid criticism. Fit makes a big difference in how pleasurable their use is, and also whether there is risk of the condom slipping off (and probably poor fit increases risk of breakage).
If they just taught people how to use a condom and then sent them off to their merry romps, and then checked how many of them got pregnant after a few months, then the statistic is highly suspicious - after all, it could just be from misuse (put it on the wrong way, then remembered how to use a condom and put it on the right way) or just omitting to use them (and then lying about it).
In this case, that would mean that the 2% statistic just indicates that 2% of the participants were not capable or willing to use a condom.
If that's not the way they did it - then how did they do it? Because beyond having every participant followed around by a man with a clipboard, I don't see any ways to reduce the chance of misuse or lying...
The failure rate for 'typical use' (which always involves too much cases) is 15%. These statistics come from wikipedia [1], but I knew some rough numbers from sexual education at my school and were around that. For casual sex, yes, condom is the way to go (both for birth control and STDs).
That's a big bummer, because that usually means involving hormone birth control methods in stable relationships, and I hate them and the effect that can have on my partner.
I am looking forward to see the advances in male contraception [2]. But I am afraid it will be something for the next generation.
[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_birth_control_met...
[2]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reversible_inhibition_of_sperm_...
Alcohol has an extremely low risk of death (overdose), but alcohol misuse (driving, etc) is much mor common, and that is critically important when assessing the risk.
Many men don't maintain a constant level of hardness during sex. The condom fits great while harder, but slips off while softer.
So you are clutching the condom to make sure it stays on. Great usability, right?
At the moment condoms aren't really any good for sex that spans 3-4 hours, and as porn is such a substantial influencer the solution should use that influence to it's advantage.
Hummm really?
Condoms are a usability nightmare:
- Fragile
- Comes in few sizes, beyond that, you're in 'specialty shops' territory. (Really, I don't care about shapes, flavours, bells and whistles, I care that it fits!)
- It's lubricated on the outside. Good for when you're using it, AWFUL when it comes to applying it.
That "teaching kids how to put on a condom using a banana" thing? It's good intention, but someone needs to come with a realistic model. Maybe put a condom on a banana then try putting another over it: closer to the real thing.