Single-Size Condoms Do Not Fit All

When men buy shoes they are fitted for a particular size. Wearing a size 12 shoe when your foot is size 10 doesn’t make any sense. But when it comes to condoms, the assumption has often been that one size fits all. Now, investigators suggest this kind of thinking is short sighted. Over 400 men were surveyed in the study and 45 percent complained that the off-the-shelf condoms they had used did not fit properly. They were more than twice as likely to have experienced condom breakage or slippage, which defeats the purpose and can be uncomfortable. These men reported that badly fitting condoms detract from the sexual experience. Part of the problem seems to be that labels such as small or medium are unappealing. Perhaps it is time to use marketing skills to come up with better sizing information for condoms.
[Sexually Transmitted Infections, March 2010]