Men Want Bigger Condoms, Study Finds

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1993. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Men Want Bigger Condoms, Study Finds

United Press International (10/14/93)

London--Nearly one out of five men surveyed at a clinic complained that standard, one-size-fits-all condoms are too tight, report researchers. Dr. Stuart J. Tovey and colleagues at Guy's Hospital in London questioned 281 men about condom use. They found that 25 percent had trouble putting on the condom. Of the 19 percent who said condoms were too tight, 73 percent reported having a condom come off during sex and 68 percent of those reported the condom splitting. Condoms tend to slip off if they do not cover the entire organ, Tovey explained. He also pointed out that most manufacturers do not provide a variety of condom sizes, and sell only standard size condoms, which measure 2 1/12 inches in accordance with guidelines from the British Standard Institute. Tovey said that the failure to provide larger ones may cause sexually active men to not use condoms, which reduce the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS. "The results of our study indicate that tightness of condoms is an important factor in their failure and suggest that a larger condom may be needed by some individuals," the researchers said. Tovey reports that "over a third of penises exceed the British Standard Institute's standard dimensions for condoms," and said that prophylactics measuring 2 1/2 inches would be helpful.

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