Condoms
From Encyclopedia of Sex and Sexuality
[edit] Dr. Ruth's Family Encyclopedia of Sex & Sexuality
A condom is a sheath that fits over the penis to block the passage of sperm. It is used as a birth control device and as a means of preventing the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases during intercourse. The word “condom” is attributed to a Doctor Condom who was supposed to have been a court physician to Charles II of England in the seventeenth century. His condom was made out of sheep’s intestines scented with perfume. Actually, the Italian anatomist Fallopius (identifier and namesake of the fallopian tubes) had created a condom out of linen one hundred years earlier. He contended that of the eleven hundred men who used it in his experiment, not one was infected with venereal disease. Among its advantages, he said, was that it could be carried in a trouser pocket.
Another advantage became apparent as condoms (spelled in a variety of ways and also known then as “machines” and later as “rubbers” and “prophylactics”) gained wider acceptance in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; in addition to protecting against sexually transmitted diseases, they were an effective means of contraception. The man who popularized the use of condoms for their contraceptive value was the eighteenth-century Italian libertine Giovanni Casanova. He was extremely attached to them, which is evident from the number of affectionate nicknames and descriptions he came up with: “the English riding coat,” “the English vestment which puts one’s mind at rest,” “the preservative sheath,” and “assurance caps.”
Unfortunately, these early condoms were ineffective. They did not reliably prevent sexually transmitted diseases, because the bacteria that causes gonorrhea and other venereal diseases could pass through the animal intestines from which they were made, and they did not always stay on the penis when in use.
The modern, relatively safe, and effective condom dates back to the middle of the nineteenth century, when vulcanized rubber was developed. The final advance in condom technology came in the early 1930s, when they began to be made of latex, a rubber product that could be made thinner and stronger than before.
In the 1950s and 1960s condom use declined rapidly due to two major developments. First, penicillin and other antibiotics were found to be effective in treating syphilis and gonorrhea, and second, the development of a female oral contraceptive—the “pill”—all but took over the main function of the condom: prevention of pregnancy. But, with awareness of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, condom use took on new significance as the most effective means of preventing AIDS short of abstinence or a stable monogamous relationship with a non-infected partner.
Only condoms made out of latex offer protection against sexually transmitted diseases. Condoms made out of lambskin (actually, intestinal tissue) supposedly offer greater sensitivity but they are riddled with microscopic holes. These holes are too small for sperm to pass through, so “lambskins” are effective against pregnancy, but the holes are large enough to allow microorganisms, such as the virus that causes AIDS, to pass through, and they should not be used to prevent the spread of disease.
The condom is placed over the penis so that upon ejaculation the sperm are trapped in the end, called the reservoir. It is important to remember that sperm are present in the pre-ejaculatory fluid released by the Cowper’s gland, so the condom must be placed on the penis before any penetration of the vagina.
The condom’s effectiveness, as typically used, is rated at 12, based on the number of pregnancies per 100 women during one year of use; if perfectly used, the rating is 2 per 100 women. Condoms can break (though this is rare) and if care is not used when removing them, semen can spill, allowing sperm to penetrate the vagina. One way of increasing the effectiveness of the condom is to use it with a spermicide. Some condoms are already coated with a spermicide, usually nonoxynol-9.
The use of oil-based lubricants can break down the latex and allow seepage of semen. If lubricants are required, they should be water-based. Some condoms are sold prelubricated with safe ingredients.
Both partners should know how to put on a condom, though it is most important for the partner wearing the condom. In their package, condoms come rolled up. Place the rolled condom over the tip of the erect penis, leave a half-inch of space at the tip to collect the semen, and then roll the condom down over the penis right up to the base. Pinch the air out of the tip with one hand: friction against air bubbles is the greatest cause of condom breakage. Do not remove the condom until the penis has been taken out of the vagina, making sure that there is no spillage during that process. Condoms are easily purchased; they cost as little as 25 or 30 cents apiece (added features such as lubrication, spermicide, and different shapes and colors can raise to $2.50 per condom). All drug stores sell condoms, many displaying them on shelves, and they may also be purchased in some restrooms from dispensers.
Unless a man or his partner is allergic to latex, there are generally no side affects to the use of the condom. Some men complain that condoms reduce feeling; others praise this, saying that it keeps them from climaxing too soon. Whatever its faults, as a protection against the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases, particularly the deadly disease AIDS, it has no competition and should be part of the love-making habits of every sexually-active person not involved in a long-term, monogamous relationship.
The latest development in the long history of the condom is the “female condom,” given provisional approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration in February 1992. The female condom is a loose-fitting pouch with one closed end that the woman places deep inside the vagina. The open end remains outside the vagina and is entered by the penis. Its potential advantage is in putting safer sex in the hands of women who, in heterosexual intercourse, are most at risk of contracting HIV, as well as removing any excuse a male might give for not using a standard condom.
