

From South Africa, a faster and easier way to apply condoms - bond
http://www.springwise.com/health_wellbeing/south-africa-faster-easier-apply-condoms/

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kolektiv
Is the low rate of condom use really related to the time demands of putting
one on? I've seen a few things like this and it seems rather more likely that
any reason like that is dwarfed by cultural ones.

~~~
Udo

      Is the low rate of condom use really related to the time demands of putting one on?
    

I suspect it is not related at all, this article is just a piece of very silly
marketing. Condom use in developing countries seems to be hampered by several
factors: most prominently religion, access to the condoms, and basic knowledge
of how to use them. You'd assume the last point isn't a problem, but it turns
out they do really weird stuff with free condoms in the absence of training
courses, like hanging them on a wire over the bed instead of putting them on
(as a kind of talisman) and re-using them multiple times.

~~~
hugh3
Oh, I don't know. In developed countries at least, condom use is sometimes
hampered by the fact that putting one on "breaks the mood", so shaving
valuable seconds off the process would seem to be helpful there.

I have no idea if it will work for African subsistence farmers, but I can
certainly see it increasing condom use among horny American college students.

~~~
Shenglong
_but I can certainly see it increasing condom use among horny American college
students._

Most likely. Although, to be fair, condom use is a lot easier after multiple
applications. The first time is difficult, but after a while you get pretty
fast at it.

~~~
qq66
If you're on the fence about condom use, and your first few times are
failures, it might lead you to high risk behavior or in a country like South
Africa you may contract HIV in these first few times. The Pronto condom could
be a huge invention.

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vorbby
If this saves me say, 10 seconds, I'd love to say that it would add up over
the course of a year...

But in reality, I'm probably saving about ten seconds a year.

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yread
This is hardly news. See the same video from 2006:

<http://www.yourdailymedia.com/video/watch/5462/>

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apol
[http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=2335#c...](http://www.smbc-
comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=2335#comic)

much better

~~~
brianbreslin
lol, however cutting slits in a condom packaging would cause it to dry out,
and more importantly you could end up ripping the condom itself... but
couldn't someone do a perforated version?

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jbee
We were taught in school that you're supposed to squeeze the tip (of the
condom) as you put it on, to allow room for the semen. Apparently this reduces
chance of breakage.

I dont see any tip squeezing in this new application method.. thats a worry.

~~~
jules
I have a hard time believing this. You can pump liters of air in a condom. A
couple of milliliters of semen is hardly going to cause breakage. I'd be much
more worried about sharp objects (split fingernails) and slippage.
Furthermore, anecdotal evidence would suggest that (1) the built-in reservoir
in condoms is not large enough anyway and (2) condoms slip/stretch a
centimeter or two from application to ejaculation, effectively creating a
reservoir that's large enough regardless of whether the built-in reservoir
contained air or not.

~~~
roc
You don't want an inflated reservoir tip because it increases the risk of
breakage _during intercourse_. It has nothing to do with ejaculation and
everything to do with friction between two layers of latex.

Short version: it's far easier for latex to tear when rubbing against another
piece of latex, than as a single layer sandwiched between two pieces of skin.
Thus anything that you do that increases the incidence of latex rubbing
against latex increases the chance of breakage.

That's why you _roll_ condoms on, keeping the material taut (to minimize
chances of folds/wrinkles) and that's why you don't want air in the reservoir
tip.

~~~
jules
I don't see how a non-inflated tip would _decrease_ latex rubbing against
other latex. If anything it is _increased_. Take a non-inflated plastic
balloon and rub it against your hand => plastic rubbing plastic. Now take an
inflated balloon and rub it against your hand => no plastic touching other
plastic.

> to minimize chances of folds/wrinkles

Have you used a condom? The chance of lots folds/wrinkles during usage is
pretty much 100%.

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philthy
It's not the packaging that needs work, its the product. Popular forms of
effective male pregnancy prevention are pretty limited. There really hasn't
been any innovation in the field in a long time. Really we can launch people
into space but we still have to put some sort of poly vinyl silicone sleeve on
ding dongs? That's the best it gets?

~~~
JonnieCache
Pregnancy prevention is not the issue, it's STI transmission that must be
prevented, especially in africa.

I doubt we will have a viable substitute for a latex barrier in that regard
until some sort of pathogen-hunting nanotechnology becomes mainstream. By that
point we may well have transcended our present notions of sex/gender
altogether.

With regard to pregnancy prevention for men, there has indeed been recent
innovation in this area:
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/06/06/male_pill_boffinry/>

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andrewcooke
all i need is a way to tell which way is "up". preferably a way that will also
work in the dark, using one hand.

i'm sure there's statistically significant evidence of telepathic (in-)ability
in the number of times i put the damn thing on upside down and then can't
unroll it.

and easier opening packages. fix the basics already.

~~~
yason
Amen. It doesn't matter if it takes a second or ten seconds of manipulation as
long as the process is straight-forward and you don't have to distract
yourself from the actual love-making.

A condom that can be mounted with one hand, correct side up, and preferably
through one continuous movement would probably remove 95% of the annoying and
frustrating condom usage problems, at least in countries with average Western
education or better. (No hanging of the rubber above bed or anything, like
somebody said.)

~~~
VladRussian
>A condom that can be mounted with one hand, correct side up, and preferably
through one continuous movement would probably remove 95% of the annoying and
frustrating condom usage problems

use correct size. When condom is smaller than needed - then you have all these
problems (and in addition it still leaves enough uncovered skin for direct
skin-to-skin contact thus potentially decreasing the STD protection
efficiency).

~~~
jules
Standard condom size should be good for virtually all people. They are
extremely stretchable in width, e.g. you shouldn't have a problem putting one
on your head (by which I mean the head that sits on your torso). Soft tissue
is the real danger for STIs, which is well covered with a condom of any size.
No matter the size of the condom, normal skin will always be exposed. Condom
size also has no effect on doing the correct side up.

~~~
VladRussian
>Standard condom size should be good for virtually all people.

that a very overstretched (pun intended) statement.

>They are extremely stretchable in width, e.g. you shouldn't have a problem
putting one on

with pretty much any condom able to hold a bucket of water, it is
theoretically possible for any human male to put it on. On practice, when
condoms are noticeably smaller that your size, it wouldn't roll over using one
hand and it requires so much frustrating both hands finger acrobatics that it
just becomes a separate activity on its own which understandably may affect
the mood in some cases. Among the "standard size" i personally met wide
variations in elasticity and size to the extent that some [rare] of them i
couldn't practically put on (and i'm biologically pretty average). Correct
condom size does matter.

~~~
jules
I can't say I share your experience. Why is using two hands a problem? I
always use two hands and it never takes longer than a couple of seconds.
Putting a standard condom on a dildo that's well above the average human penis
size is equally easy. Putting on a condom on a (partially) flaccid penis is
indeed very hard though since you need one hand to hold it and trying to put
it on will push the blood out.

Use which size suits you best, but be aware that a looser condoms will cause
more slippage.

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snissn
All of the examples in the video seemed really large. Does anyone know if it
also works on smaller ones too?

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tlowrimore
Ouch. That foil package looks like it could really scratch up the shaft.

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hvass
I can't really tell if I trust the packaging.

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danvideo
these do, however, look like they would be tougher to fill with air for
bachelorette parties.

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rhplus
Silly video. Everyone knows that abstinence education has been working
flawlessly to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and unwanted pregnancy.

~~~
pbhjpbhj
Abstinence works however at 100% effectiveness (for both prevention of
conception and prevention of spreading disease) whilst condoms work at, what
is it, about 97% prevention of pregnancy for experienced users and much lower
for inexperienced users. I don't know the figures for disease spread but
presumably things like genital warts and pubic lice aren't hindered much by
condom use.

I don't think this is really the place for this discussion/ your snide
remarks.

~~~
rhplus
Abstinence _education_ was the point of my comment. South Africa, the origin
of this product, has been subjected to various abstinence-only education
programs from outside sources and these are known to have negligible
results[1]. Anything that instead acknowledges that people want to continue
having sex and instead prepares them for the event - such as this product, and
the accompanying video - is going to be far more useful in the long run.

[1] "...once people had established sexual patterns it was difficult to ask
them to abstain. The condom message then had to be emphasised."
<http://www.bhfglobal.com/bhf-news/abstinence-only-programmes>

"At present there does not exist any strong evidence that any abstinence
program delays the initiation of sex, hastens the return to abstinence or
reduces the number of sexual partners" <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21670758/>

~~~
pbhjpbhj
> _is going to be far more useful in the long run_ //

This is the point were you assume what is useful and dictate that to us.

