OBJECTIVES This study assesses whether the observed declines in HIV prevalence since the beginning of the 'Avahan' India HIV/AIDS prevention initiative are consistent with self-reported increases in condom use by female sex workers (FSWs) in two districts of southern India, and provides estimates of the fraction of new infections averted among FSWs and clients due to increases in condom use in ...

To the Editor: It was with great interest that we read the recent editorial by Dr Khumalo1 in which she expressed concern regarding potential condom failure in Africa. The issue of condom failure is certainly important and we were most alarmed by the lack of prevalence data on condom failure in South Africa. In her literature search Dr Khumalo did not find any research on the prevalence of cond...

Despite limited safety data and the absence of efficacy data, several studies have reported that the female condom is being used for anal sex by men who have sex with men. We describe providers' awareness of female condom use during anal sex among their clients and their experiences in counseling clients. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 78 health-care providers recruited from vario...

PURPOSE To describe women's condom use and assess predictors of consistent condom use and dual method use in the 6 months after the initiation of oral contraception (OC). METHODS We conducted a planned secondary cohort analysis among women less than 25 years of age initiating oral contraceptives at public family planning clinics in Atlanta, Dallas and New York City, USA, as part of a randomiz...

The short and sweet answer to your question is that what you've heard is true! A condom stored in a wallet may be damaged by lots of action (even when the person carrying it isn't getting any). The constant bending and friction caused by sitting and moving, as well as long exposure to your body heat, can cause a condom to deteriorate. Extreme heat or freezing cold [2] can make the condom brittl...

With the increased use of condoms, contact dermatitis to rubber is being seen more often. To develop a rubber condom suitable for use by rubber sensitive people, a "hypoallergenic" condom, which is washed in ammonia to reduce the residues of rubber accelerators, has been manufactured. Fifty patients allergic to various rubber accelerators were patch tested with an ordinary condom and the new wa...

This article briefly discusses the female condom and presents step-by-step instructions on how to use it. Although the female condom costs much more than the male condom, many women who have learned how to use it properly like it. The female condom is made of a durable material called polythene and can be inserted anytime, from several hours before sex to immediately before the penis comes in...

Many adolescents fail to use condoms, even when they are motivated to do so. An important reason for their failure to use condoms is that they do not prepare themselves for potential sexual encounters. The present study examined the circumstances under which Dutch adolescents were likely to prepare themselves for condom use (buying and carrying). In a sample of 399 secondary school students, in...

BACKGROUND Unprotected sexual intercourse is a major risk factor for HIV transmission. Men who have sex with men (MSM) face challenges in accessing HIV prevention services, including condoms. However, there is limited in-depth assessment and documentation of the barriers to condom use among MSM in sub-Saharan Africa. In this paper, we examine the barriers to condom use among MSM in Uganda. ME...