Problems With Condoms May Be Reduced for Men Taking Ample Time to Apply Them

"One potentially important antecedent of experiencing problems with condom use during penile-vaginal sex is the amount of time that men (and perhaps women) allow for condom application," noted the study authors. Thus, they sought to examine whether men reporting that ample time was available to apply a male condom (the last time a condom was used for penile-vaginal sex) were also less likely to report problems with condom use such as breakage, slippage, and erection difficulties during that sexual episode.

Advertisements in newspapers (two urban and one small-town) and a blog on the Web site of a condom sales company were used to recruit male participants. A convenience sample of 440 men completed a questionnaire posted on the Web site of the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction. Inclusion criteria required that participants: were at least 18 years old; were able to read English; and reported condom use for penile-vaginal intercourse in the previous three months.

Controlled, event-specific analyses showed men reporting that they did not have sufficient time for condom application, were approximately three times more likely to report breaking, and roughly 2.4 times more likely to report slippage. These men also were approximately 2.4 times more likely to experience any of nine sexual problems, 3.4 times more likely to report difficulty with erection, 2.1 times more likely to report reduced sexual pleasure, 2.2 times more likely to report their female partners had reduced sexual pleasure, and 2.6 times more likely to report that the condom irritated their partner's vagina.

"This is the first study using an event-specific analysis to examine the effect of not having enough time for condom application or condom breakage, slippage, and several outcomes related to sexual pleasure. Sexually transmissible infections and pregnancy prevention messages should include recommendations to men to take their time applying condoms," the study authors concluded.

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