Condom Use Has Dropped and it's a Big Problem
Posted by GLYDE & UNION's resident sexperts, Natasha & Jeremy of AllTheFeels on 17th Mar 2022
According to the CDC, condom use has dropped in every demographic over the past 15 years or so: Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, straights, and the whole LGBTQ+ spectrum.
Which has, unsurprisingly, led to an all-time high in STIs in the US. As of 2017, nearly 2.3 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis were diagnosed according to the CDC.
So why aren't people putting the casing on the sausage? There are a few reasons that experts have theorized:
• a lack of comprehensive Sex Ed in schools leaves people either 1) ignorant of the fact that condoms are the only way to protect against both STIs and pregnancy, or 2) how to properly select a good fitting condom, and 3) how to properly put on and use a condom in order to be safe without a significant loss in pleasure
• the rise in use of IUDs and other forms of birth control has made women of child-bearing-age less concerned about condom use to prevent pregnancy, even though they are still putting themselves at risk of STDs by doing so
• the influence of porn, which rarely depicts condom use and instead relies on testing their performers every two weeks (which I'm sure less than 1% of the general population is doing to supplement their lack of condom use)
• the decline in the spread of HIV/AIDS (ironically due to a huge public health effort to promote condom use in the 90s) means that even if you get an STI you likely won't die, except that herpes is forever and... syphilis CAN actually kill you
Condom use in high school students fell to just 54 percent by 2017 according to the CDC. The numbers are about the same for college students. And it gets worse after that: Indiana University researchers found that most people don’t even use them in casual sex after their mid-20s.
“Even when condoms are used during sexual intercourse, they are often used incorrectly or inconsistently, which can reduce condom effectiveness. “Almost 7 percent of women aged 15–44 who used a condom in the past four weeks said the condom broke or completely fell off during intercourse or withdrawal, and 25.8 percent said the condom was used for only part of the time during intercourse,”” according to the National Center for Health Statistics at the CDC.
According to Dr. Alexandra Stockwell, “There’s clear research that shows quality sex ed correlates with higher incidents of condom use, consent, and pleasure" which should include how to select the right condom size/ & fit to get so it doesn't slip off or constrict, as well as how to put a condom on and use lube to prevent breakage or leaking.
GYDDE has 3 different sizes to choose from to make sure you get the best fit, and we encourage you to follow the instructions inside to make sure you're putting it on correctly by rolling it all the way down to the base and pinching & pulling the tip to leave extra room. For the most pleasure, make sure to put a little lube on the inside and plenty on the outside, which not only feels best for both partners, it also helps prevent breakage.
Because playing safe doesn't have to be boring.
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