Every year around the Valentine’s Day holiday, organizations around the country celebrate National Condom Week. However, this celebratory week has expanded to a month-long recognition.
It’s vital that everyone know the importance of wrapping up before having fun.
What is a Condom?
If you need to ask the question of what a condom is, you probably shouldn’t be having sex.
But to answer the question, a condom is a thin rubber-like covering worn on the penis during sex to help prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
Condom Sizes
Condoms come in a variety of sizes to accommodate just about every guy.
Now when I say “just about every guy”, I mean, if you have a pecker that’s less than 1” in circumference and less than 3.5” long, then you’re going to have a tough time finding one that fits properly.
At the same time, if your Johnson is a thick as a beer can and is as long as your forearm, you might have trouble finding one that’s a comfy fit. If this is the case for you, it wouldn’t hurt to reach out to the condom manufacturers to see where you can get one that will accommodate your size.
In the United States, the average penis size is 5.1 inches, so any of the standard off the shelf condoms will work for most guys.
There are some guys that need the XL condom, which when unrolled gives you an extra inch of protection. There are XXL sizes available through Amazon, but I think anything larger you might need to special order.
Condom Types
Finding the right type of condom is super important. If you or your partner is allergic to latex, then you’ll need to buy a latex-free condom. These can be found in just about any pharmacy or grocery store.
Some guys like the feeling of the lambskin over the latex and that’s cool, but you’re looking at almost double the cost for the same amount of condoms. It’s all about preference, so no judgment here.
There are also several different styles that aren’t required for the prevention of disease or pregnancy. These different styles can add an overall enhanced sexual experience depending on what you’re into. I won’t go into how these are used, but check them out and see for yourself.
The Prevention of Pregnancy
Although condoms help prevent pregnancy, no condom is 100% effective.
Just because you put one on, doesn’t mean that the condom won’t break during sex or that there could be tiny holes pinpricked into the condom from a deranged girlfriend.
You only need a microscopic drop of semen to get a girl pregnant.
According to Planned Parenthood, condoms are 95% effective at preventing pregnancy. But in reality, they are only about 79% effective.
People aren’t perfect and may put the condom on wrong, wear one that’s expired, or try to wear the wrong size.
This means that about 21 out of 100 people who use condoms as their only method for birth control will end up getting pregnant.
The Prevention of a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD)
In the previous section, we discussed how effective condoms are at the prevention of pregnancy. And unfortunately, those percentages are still the same for the chance of contracting an STD.
On top of that, there are some STDs that a condom won’t protect against, such as herpes, genital warts, and syphilis. Those infections are spread from skin-to-skin contact.
It’s hard to tell who has what and although this might not be an option for you, your safest bet to prevent all STDs is abstinence or just stopping at third base. I know, what fun is that, right?
Covering the Bases
Many people might not know about the baseball reference when it comes to sexy time with your partner. So here’s the quick and dirty of it:
- First base – Kissing, french, open mouth, including just a peck. Touching anywhere above the waistline is also considered first base.
- Second base – Hands below the belt (use your imagination)
- Third base – When mouths are used below the belt, basically going down on one another. This could also include using sex toys.
- Home Run – A home run is any of the following: intercourse, sex, going all the way, doing it, banging, slamming it, doing the deed, and so on. You get the idea. Basically, when there is any penile penetration in any orifice.
Free Condoms
In an effort to reach out to folks where condoms may not be in their budget. There are several programs that offer free condoms by mail, or you can go and pick them up from Planned Parenthood.
When I used to rideshare, I would give out free condoms to my drunk passengers that were provided by the Ohio HIV/STI Hotline. Although this service is limited to Ohio, there are several organizations across the country offering free condoms for anyone who needs them.
Wrapping Up (No pun intended)
Needless to say (but I’m gonna say it anyway) there’s no fun in getting an STD or getting someone knocked up unintentionally.
As adults (and even teens) we need to take the responsibility of protecting ourselves and anyone else we come in sexual contact with.
If you know that you have an STD, don’t be a douchebag and spread that shit to everyone else. And if you go home with a stranger, play it safe and wear a condom. You have no idea what little monsters might be hiding in that silk pocket.