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· Emergency
Contraception: A Safe & Effective Contraceptive Option for Teenagers
· Adolescent
Sexual Health in Europe and USA
· Condoms
Are Highly Effective in Preventing HIV Infection
· Comparing
the Effectiveness of Various Contraceptive Methods for Pregnancy Prevention
· Adolescent
Protective Behaviors: Abstinence and Contraceptive Use
· Reproductive
Health Outcomes & Contraceptive Use among U.S. Teenangers
Tags: Topic: Condom Efficacy and Use Topic: Contraceptive Access Type: The Facts
Usage of condoms - When used consistently and correctly, latex condoms are
highly effective in preventing the sexual transmission of HIV (during vaginal,
oral, or anal intercourse).[1,2] Latex condoms are also effective in preventing
pregnancy[3] and several sexually transmitted infections (STIs).[2,4]
Using
condoms lowers woman's risk of developing cervical cancer, a disease associated
with HPV.[2] Consistent use of condoms can also help people clear HPV infection
and/or reduce their risk of re-infection.[4,5]. Condoms are very effective, continue reading
Condoms Are Highly Effective in Preventing HIV Infection.
* In a two-year
study of sero-discordant couples (in which one partner was HIV-positive and one
was HIV-negative), no uninfected partner became infected among couples using
condoms correctly and consistently at every act of vaginal or anal sex versus
10 percent of those using condoms
inconsistently.[1,6]
* Sexual
transmission of HIV occurs when infected semen, vaginal, or other body fluids
contact mucosal surfaces, such as the male urethra, the vagina, or cervix.[2]
According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), a number
of carefully conducted studies, employing rigorous methods and measures, have
demonstrated that consistent condom use is highly effective in preventing HIV
transmission.[1,2]
* A recent study
of declining HIV prevalence in Uganda found no evidence that abstinence or
monogamy had contributed to the decline. Findings identified the increased use
of condoms in casual relationships as important in Uganda's declining HIV
infection rates.[7]
* In a similar
two-year study, two percent of uninfected partners who used condoms
consistently became HIV-infected versus 12 percent among those who used condoms
inconsistently or not at all.[1]
—CDC. Male Latex Condoms and Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
Atlanta, GA: CDC, 2002.
· Emergency
Contraception: A Safe & Effective Contraceptive Option for Teenagers
· Adolescent
Sexual Health in Europe and USA
· Condoms
Are Highly Effective in Preventing HIV Infection
· Comparing
the Effectiveness of Various Contraceptive Methods for Pregnancy Prevention
· Adolescent
Protective Behaviors: Abstinence and Contraceptive Use
· Reproductive
Health Outcomes & Contraceptive Use among U.S. Teenangers
READ MORE ON CONTRACEPTION
· Emergency
Contraception: A Safe & Effective Contraceptive Option for Teenagers
· Adolescent
Sexual Health in Europe and USA
· Condoms
Are Highly Effective in Preventing HIV Infection
· Comparing
the Effectiveness of Various Contraceptive Methods for Pregnancy Prevention
· Adolescent
Protective Behaviors: Abstinence and Contraceptive Use
· Reproductive
Health Outcomes & Contraceptive Use among U.S. Teenangers
· CONTRACEPTION – CONTRACEPTIVE ACCESS AND INFORMATION - General Facts
· Mejorando el acceso de los jóvenes a los métodos anticonceptivos en America Latina
Condoms Are Effective in Preventing Some STIs.
* Gonorrhea,
chlamydia, and trichomoniasis are transmitted when infected semen or vaginal
fluids contact mucosal surfaces. Because condoms block the discharge of semen
or protect the male urethra against exposure to vaginal secretions, condoms
provide a greater level of protection against these STIs.[2]
* Condoms also
provide some protection against genital ulcer STIs—such as genital herpes,
syphilis, and chancroid—which are transmitted through contact with mucosal
surfaces or infected skin.[2,4] Because these STIs may be transmitted across
surfaces not covered or protected by the condom, condoms provide a lesser
degree of protection against them.[2]
"Latex condoms, when used consistently and correctly,
can reduce the risk of transmission of gonorrhea, chlamydia, and
trichomoniasis."
"Genital ulcer diseases and HPV infections can occur in
both male or female genital areas that are covered or protected by a latex
condom, as well as in areas that are not covered. Correct and consistent use of
latex condoms can reduce the risk of genital herpes, syphilis, and chancroid
only when the infected area or site of potential exposure is protected. While
the effect of condoms in preventing human papillomavirus infection is unknown,
condom use has been associated with a lower rate of cervical cancer, an
HPV-associated disease."
—CDC. Male Latex Condoms and Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
Atlanta, GA: CDC, 2002.
Condoms Are Effective in Reducing Risk for HPV and Cervical
Cancer.
* Almost all cases
of cervical cancer are caused by HPV.[8] While at least 3.1 million women in
the United States are newly infected each year with HPV,[9] perhaps as many as
40,000 develop non-invasive cervical cancer and less than 11,000 develop invasive
cervical cancer.[10]
* Regular Pap
smears can detect precancerous conditions long before cervical cancer develops
or becomes invasive, permitting women and their doctors to prevent cervical
cancer.[10]
* In a 28-month
study of 123 college women, researchers found that sexually active women who
used condoms consistently were significantly less likely to contract HPV than
were women who had not used condoms.[11]
* In a study among
148 women already diagnosed with a pre-cancerous cervical condition and their
male partners, 53 percent of women who used condoms had normal cervical
findings at two consecutive follow-ups, versus 35 percent of women who did not
use condoms. In the same study, 23 percent of women who used condoms cleared
HPV from their system (as shown by HPV testing) compared to four percent of
women who did not use condoms.[5]
* In one study,
men who used condoms consistently and correctly had reduced risk for penile
infection with HPV.[12] Another study showed that men who consistently used
condoms had a lower incidence of anal HPV infection than did inconsistent or
non-users.[13] In one study, men who consistently used condoms showed a faster
regression in penile HPV lesions than did men who did not use condoms.[14]
Condoms Are Effective in Preventing Unintended or Unwanted
Pregnancy. * In one year, only
two of every 100 couples who use condoms consistently and correctly will
experience an unintended pregnancy—two pregnancies arising from an estimated
8,300 acts of sexual intercourse, for a 0.02 percent per-condom pregnancy
rate.[3]
* In one year with
perfect use (meaning couples use condoms consistently and correctly at every
act of sex), 98 percent of women relying on male condoms will remain pregnancy
free. With typical use, 85 percent relying on male condoms will remain
pregnancy free.[3]
* In one year with
perfect use, 95 percent of women relying on the female condom will remain
pregnancy free. With typical use, 79 percent relying on female condoms will
remain pregnancy free.[3]
* By comparison,
only 15 percent of women using no method of contraception in a year will remain
pregnancy free.[3]
Condoms Are Effective Barriers.
* The condom—latex
or polyurethane, male or female—is the only technology available to prevent the
sexual transmission of HIV.[15]
* Laboratory
studies show that latex condoms provide an essentially impermeable barrier to
particles the size of HIV and other STI pathogens.[2] Studies show that
polyurethane condoms also provide effective barriers against sperm, bacteria,
and viruses such as HIV.[1]
* Several studies
clearly show that condom breakage rates in this country are less than two
percent. Most of the breakage and slippage is likely due to incorrect use
rather than to the condoms' quality.[1]
Condom Availability Programs Increase Condom Use among
Sexually Active Teens.
* Condom
availability programs reduce the barriers—financial, logistical, and
social—that deter sexually active teens from using condoms.[16] They operate in
locations (such as schools and teen clinics) where adolescents congregate; make
condoms available at low or no cost to teens; and provide condoms in ways that
minimize teens' discomfort about obtaining condoms.
* Studies show
that condom availability programs encourage sexually active teens to use
condoms more often and more consistently than do their sexually active peers
who are without condom availability programs.[17,18,19,20]
* Studies show
that condom availability programs do not encourage teens to initiate sex and do
not cause sexually active teens to have sex more often or with more
partners.[17,18,19,20]
* The American
Academy of Pediatrics,[21] American College of Obstetricians &
Gynecologists,[16] American Medical Association,[22] and Institute of
Medicine[23] all support communities' making condoms available to teens. In
addition, CDC has included condom availability among an array of effective approaches
to reducing HIV and other STIs.[20]
References
1. CDC. Condoms and
Their Use in Preventing HIV Infection and Other STDs. Atlanta, GA: CDC, 1999.
2. CDC. Male Latex
Condoms and Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Atlanta, GA: CDC, 2002.
3. Hatcher RA et
al. Contraceptive Technology, 18th rev. ed. New York: Ardent Media, 2004.
4. Holmes KK et al.
Effectiveness of condoms in preventing sexually transmitted infections.
Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2004; 82:454-461+.
5. Hogewoning CJA
et al. Condom use promotes regression of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and
clearance of human papillomavirus: a randomized clinical trial. International
Journal of Cancer 2003; 107:811-816.
6. de Vincenzi I. A
longitudinal study of human immunodeficiency virus transmission by heterosexual
partners. New England Journal of Medicine 1994; 331:341-346.
7. Wawer MJ et al.
Declines in HIV Prevalence in Uganda: Not as Simple as ABC. Presentation at the
12th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, February 22-25,
2005, Boston, Massachusetts;
http://www.retroconference.org/2005/CD/Abstracts/25775.htm; accessed 3/2/2005.
8. Walboomers JMM
et al. Human papillomavirus is a necessary cause of invasive cervical cancer
worldwide. Journal of Pathology 1999; 189:12-19.
9. Weinstock H et
al. Sexually transmitted diseases among American youth: incidence and
prevalence estimates, 2000. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health
2004; 36:6-10.
10. American Cancer
Society. What Are the Key Statistics about Cervical Cancer? Washington, DC: The
Society, 2004.
11. Winer RL et al.
The Effect of Consistent Condom Use on the Risk of Genital HPV Infection among
Newly Sexually Active Young Women, presented at the 16th Biennial Meeting of the
International Society for Sexually Transmitted Diseases Research, July 10-13,
2005, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
12. Baldwin SB et
al. Condom use and other factors affecting penile human papillomavirus
detection in men attending a sexually transmitted disease clinic. Sexually
Transmitted Diseases 2004;31:601-607.
13. Chin-Hong PV et
al. Condoms Prevent Incident Anal Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Infection in Men:
the Explore Study, presented at the 16th Biennial Meeting of the International
Society for Sexually Transmitted Diseases Research, July 10-13, 2005,
Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
14. Bleeker MC et
al. Condom use promotes regression of human papillomavirus-associated penile
lesions in male sexual partners of women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.
International Journal of Cancer 2003; 107:804-810.
15. Chaya N, Amen
KA. Condoms Count: Meeting the Need in the Era of HIV/AIDS. Washington, DC:
Population Action International, 2002.
16. American College
of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Condom availability for adolescents.
Journal of Adolescent Health 1996; 18:380-383.
17. Guttmacher S et
al. Condom availability in New York City public high schools: relationships to
condom use and sexual behavior. American Journal of Public Health 1997;
87:1427-1433.
18. Blake SM et al.
Condom availability programs in Massachusetts high schools: relationships with
condom use and sexual behavior. American Journal of Public Health 2003;
93:955-962.
19. Furstenberg FF
et al. Does condom availability make a difference? An evaluation of
Philadelphia's health resource centers. Family Planning Perspectives 1997;
29:123-127.
20. CDC. Condom
availability as a prevention strategy. CDC Update 1997 (February):[1-2].
21. American Academy
of Pediatrics. Condom availability for youth. Pediatrics 1995; 95:281-285.
22. American Medical
Association. Update on AMA Policies on human sexuality and family life
education [H-170.974] HOD Policy 1997. Chicago, IL: AMA, 1997.
23. Committee on
Prevention and Control of Sexually Transmitted Diseases. The Hidden Epidemic:
Confronting Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Washington, DC: National Academy
Press, 1997.
READ MORE ON CONTRACEPTION
· Emergency
Contraception: A Safe & Effective Contraceptive Option for Teenagers
· Adolescent
Sexual Health in Europe and USA
· Condoms
Are Highly Effective in Preventing HIV Infection
· Comparing
the Effectiveness of Various Contraceptive Methods for Pregnancy Prevention
· Adolescent
Protective Behaviors: Abstinence and Contraceptive Use
· Reproductive
Health Outcomes & Contraceptive Use among U.S. Teenangers
· CONTRACEPTION – CONTRACEPTIVE ACCESS AND INFORMATION - General Facts
· Mejorando el acceso de los jóvenes a los métodos anticonceptivos en America Latina
Tags: Topic: Condom Efficacy and Use Topic: Contraceptive Access Type: The Facts