24 Mar 09 THE MALE CONDOM:
How do condoms work? A condom forms a barrier that stops sperm getting into the woman’s body. That is why it is called a barrier method of contraception. When a man ejaculates or comes, the semen, that is the fluid that contains sperm, comes out of the penis into the tip of the condom and collects there. Because it doesn’t go into the woman’s body, the sperm cannot join with an egg to start a pregnancy. There is also much less chance of passing on a sexually transmitted infection (STI).
How effective are condoms? Condoms are about 90 percent effective. That means that if the partners of 100 women used condoms as their method of contraception for a year, about 10 of those women would become pregnant. People sometimes say they use condoms as their method of contraception, but what they don’t say is that they do not use a condom every time they have sex. The effectiveness rate is obviously higher for condoms if you actually use one every time you have sex, and you put it on before you have any penis-in-vagina sex. It is also higher if you use condoms correctly every time, taking care when you put it on and take it off, and using a water-based lubricant because this reduces the risk of the condom breaking. You should only use each condom once and then throw it away, otherwise there’s a much greater risk of pregnancy.
Why would I want to choose condoms?
Condoms not only reduce the risk of pregnancy, they are the only method of contraception that can also protect you against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV/AIDS. You may want to use condoms if you have a new sexual partner, or more than one sexual partner, or if your partner has sex with other people. Condoms may be a good choice if you don’t have sex regularly so you don’t want to use something that affects your body all the time.
There is no legal age limit for using condoms. And there is no need to see a doctor to get them. They are not expensive and there are no serious medical side effects to using condoms.
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Tags: Women’s Health
