Couples to try out new polyurethane condoms

LATEX CONDOM FAILURE RATES Condom failure rates
over the course of a year. By itself With
spermicides Perfect use condoms used correctly every time
2% 1% Typical use condoms used
correctly most of the time 10%
10% SOURCE: The Nemours Foundation Original
graphic by VICTOR CHEN/Daily Bruin Web adaptation by ROBERT
LIU/Daily Bruin Senior Staff

By Lisa Klassen
Daily Bruin Reporter

Latex condoms may become a thing of the past as couples begin
testing an alternative to status quo rubbers.

The alternative material being tested in a new study is
polyurethane, a product commonly used in cushions, insulation and
plastic products.

Researchers hope the study will prove polyurethane condoms to be
just as effective as their latex counterparts.

“There are many people who are allergic to latex that
can’t use regular condoms,” said Karen Peacock, the
director of data operations for the study. “There are also a
lot of people out there that don’t like latex because it
lessens sensations during sex.”

Currently, the Avanti and Trojan companies manufacture and sell
polyurethane condoms, Peacock said. Several scientific studies show
that polyurethane is as effective as latex in preventing the spread
of sexually transmitted diseases.

The FDA, however, has yet to validate this claim. Recent
modifications in the production and thickness of polyurethane
condoms requires further testing.

To participate in the ongoing study, couples must be in a
monogamous, heterosexual relationship.

Some find the study to be exclusive because it includes only
heterosexual couples, but Peacock said she hopes that more
inclusive studies will be conducted in the future so that condoms
can be more effective for all users.

“The current test is specifically for heterosexual couples
because we want to test how well the condoms perform during vaginal
intercourse,” she said. “We would love to do a test
with homosexual couples. We’re hoping that we can eventually
test condoms used during anal sex and see how they perform and how
they can be improved.”

Couples need not be married, but must be free from sexually
transmitted diseases and must meet specified criteria.

Participants will be required to test four latex and four
polyurethane condoms and attend three meetings with
researchers.

The study lasts four to five weeks and each participant will
receive free test condoms and $140 upon completing the
experiment.

Students, often looking for easy ways to earn money, find this
study particularly enticing.

“I would totally do the test,” said Jeff Hollis, a
first-year political science and history student. “It’s
like I’d get paid for something I’d be doing
anyway.”

The California Family Health Council, a non-profit organization
seeking to raise awareness of health issues and increase access to
family planning and health care, organized the current study.

The CFHC’s past studies include testing various forms of
birth control ranging from the female condom to the intra-uterine
device.

According to Peacock, various condom manufacturers and the
National Institute of Health provided funding for the current
study. Both groups use data collected from the studies to improve
condom design, use, and performance.

“There’s also at least one other alternative to
latex,” she said. “They’re synthetic latex, which
is a material similar to latex but produced artificially. The major
problem people have with latex usually isn’t with the latex
itself, but rather with all of the chemicals that go into the
natural rubber before it becomes latex.”

Preliminary tests done by the Center For Disease Control found
that most people are not allergic to polyurethane.

According to Chichi Nnadi, a second-year theater student,
Trojan’s polyurethane condom, the Trojan Supra, works better
than latex.

“I think a lot of it has to do with the brand,”
Nnadi said. “I remember the latex ones breaking a lot, but
not the other ones. I definitely like the polyurethane ones
more.”

For some, like Dan Barnhart, a second-year engineering student,
polyurethane condoms have the same dulling effect as latex
condoms.

“I think any kind of condom kills the sensation,”
Barnhart said. “I don’t think it would matter if it was
latex or polyurethane.”

According to SaferSex.org, condoms can, when used consistently
and correctly, reduce the risk of contracting a sexually
transmitted disease anywhere from 70 to 100 percent. In addition,
the Center for Disease Control lists consistent and correct use of
condoms as an effective way to prevent the spread of AIDS and
HIV.

Peacock said future studies will test new products like
microbiocide, a substance similar to spermicide that scientists
hope will kill both sperm and bacteria.

“We hope that we’ll gather new information with our
study and with future studies so that we can learn how to make
condoms more effective,” she said.