Condoms. Questions and Answers

Oct 05, 2007

$condoms$

My partner wants to try a glowing in the dark condom, but I doubt whether it is safe. I wonder what agents are used to make the condom glow. Is it safe or it can affect my health somehow?

Glowing is caused by zinc sulfide (ZnS) that begins glowing when combined with copper. These agents are absolutely safe, as copper can be found nearly everywhere and zinc sulfide is contained in many minerals.

The results of the tests that were performed in Japan showed that glowing in the dark condoms are absolutely safe.

I heard there are condoms that relieve pain in virgins during the first sex. Is is true?

Perhaps you mean condoms with anesthetics (lidocaine, benzocaine and others). Such condoms are designed to decrease sensitivity of the head of the penis and thus to avoid early ejaculation and to prolong sexual intercourse. That is why the anesthetic should be inside the condom.

However, some manufacturers add anesthetic to the external lubricant. Thus such a condom can relieve pain in a woman. However, this is an exception or a defect: such condoms should influence men's sensations, rather than woman's.

If you want to relieve pain somehow you can use a lubricant with anesthetic, but take into account that such a lubricant will relieve pain and at the same time will decrease your sensitivity in general.

I have an infection and I wonder whether I can be absolutely sure that my partner won't get infected if I use condoms.

No condom can guarantee a 100 percent protection from unwanted pregnancy or transmission of infections. However, there are no other methods that can diminish the risk of getting infected so considerably. So it remains up to you whether to use a condom or to abstain from sex until you are healthy.

Is it a defect if a condom has too much Vaseline?

A condom cannot has Vaseline at all, as Vaseline is made of organic oils that damage latex. That is why you should not use Vaseline as a lubricant with a condom. Perhaps you mean water-based lubricant or lubricants based on mineral oils (usually this is silicone oil). Large amount of lubricant does not mean that the condom is of pour quality. At least the lubricant will not leak off if the package is leakproof.

I know that condoms are electronically tested. What is the procedure?

Every condom is stretched over a metal former and subjected to a high voltage. If the condom has no defects it will serve as a good isolator. If there are any holes the voltage will decrease and the condom will be rejected. However this testing does not exclude breakage during the following operations (for instance packaging).

I know that spermicides protect from pregnancy and prevent getting infected with an STD. Can I use a spermicide lubricant instead of condom?

Spermicides (including nonoxynol-9) have been used since sixteens of the previous century. They used to be considered to diminish the risk or unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV.

However studies that were monitored by WHO in 2000-20001 brought quite unexpected results. Here are the most important conclusions

h-9, if used without a condom has moderate contraceptive effect
there are no evident proves that condoms with spermicide lubricant is more effective than a condom with any other lubricant
h-9 damages cellular membranes in the vagina
h-9 cannot be used anally
h-9 damages latex, especially if the condom is textured