5 curiosities that perhaps you did not know about condoms

It is no coincidence that on the eve of Valentine's Day the use of condoms is commemorated internationally.

The

(WHO) lists them as "a critical component" in the fight against sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies.

Since February 13, 2009, the date was used to underline the importance of condom use.

Three years later, at the initiative of the

, it was established as International Condom Day in order to "reduce the spread of HIV through safe sexual practices."

In Argentina, since 2002 free access to condoms has been regulated and is considered part of a mandatory public service in health centers, hospitals, foundations and some NGOs.

In the past, the story was very different and the condom, whose origin is attributed by many theorists to the Renaissance physician 

(1523 - 1562) in his efforts to prevent syphilis, was seen as obscene and immoral.

During a good part of the 20th century, this and other contraceptive methods had plenty of detractors.

Today, the dispute is fought in many homes, under the false idea that only young people or singles should use it.

Silvina Valente

(MN 87798), head of the Clinical Sexology section of the Hospital de Clínicas, reflects on this: “It is not only for adolescents and young people with multiple sexual contacts.

It is essential to think that we can use it in a couple's context and also beyond menopause.

We know that sexuality accompanies all stages of life and not contracting diseases contributes to our well-being”.

But the estimates at the national level do not paint an encouraging picture.

The AHF Argentina reported in a 2021 survey that

" and that 20.5% never do so. 

5 curiosities that perhaps you did not know about condoms

Very few would question the contribution that the use of this method has had on sexual and productive health worldwide.

So these are some facts and curiosities about the condom.

1. For more than fifty years it was illegal to receive information about condoms

Until 1936, information about methods of contraception such as condoms was considered immoral in the US (Photo: Illustration Shutterstock)

Being a contraceptive barrier method, it alluded directly to sexual intercourse and its use was considered “immoral”.

An information pamphlet for a condom could be as censored as an erotic novel.

The academic

refers in his work

 (Rubber Wars: the fights around the condom in the United States, in Spanish) that, although in the 19th century the condom was used with certain Often, in 1873 the enactment of the

prohibited "the interstate transportation, mailing, and importation of all contraceptive supplies and information."

Anthony Comstock, a postal inspector, was one of the promoters of the federal law that was later nicknamed with his last name.

This law and the approval of the Church meant a setback in activism in favor of contraception.

For 63 years the prophylactic was not openly marketed.

In 1936 a court decision on birth control stopped classifying contraceptive devices and their information as obscene, rendering the law ineffective.

In the mid-1930s, Gamson explains, the 15 most important companies in the industry sold 1.5 million condoms per day.

Its use decreased in the 1960s and 1970s due to the commercialization of the contraceptive pill, but in the mid-1980s, with the transmission of HIV, its use was advocated as part of a State policy in favor of prevention .

2. Condoms have different sizes, pay attention to the diameter

Before buying a condom, find out what the appropriate nominal width is for your size.

(Photo: illustration Shutterstock)

In addition to the variety that abounds in colors, textures, with or without spermicide, condoms come in different sizes.

It is essential that you see in the "nominal width" which one corresponds to you.

Romina Barraza

, a doctor and clinical sexologist from the Argentine Society of Human Sexuality (MN 154156) explained to

how the proper diameter can be checked.

“If you look on the back [of the package], along with the expiration date, there is always the nominal width that you have to measure.

”.

3. You should check three things on the packaging of your condom

All condoms must have the manufacturing date, expiration date, and batch number clearly visible on their packaging.

(Photo: illustration Shutterstock)

Any condom, whether distributed for free or for sale to the public, must clearly specify:

.

This last piece of information is not minor, since it serves as a "tracking" for the marketers to carry out all the tests and samplings that ensure the quality and durability of the product.

Before using it, check that it is completely sealed.

Wrapping in aluminum foil helps to preserve it but, as the instructions of different brands specify, keep them away from excessive heat and humidity.

4. The raw material comes from a tree, the

Hevea brasiliensis

The extraction of natural latex is done by superficially cutting the trunk of a tree called "Hevea brasiliensis" (Photo: illustration Shutterstock)

​Latex,

, also called “rubber tree”.

This process, which is colloquially called "grating", consists of making

.

It happens by dripping and this alone can take between four and five hours.

Then it will go through a concentration process and the addition of other chemical compounds to stabilize it and make it suitable for industry.

You can learn more about this process here.

5. Surely your condom was made in Asia

(Archive/2005) A worker checks the quality of condoms in a factory in Asia.

80% of the world production of rubber and natural latex is concentrated in Southeast Asia.

Although it is native to the Brazilian Amazon,

thrived in large plantations on that continent.

In America, the presence of a fungus has truncated the expectations of matching the production of the other in the world.

Most condoms sold in America are made in Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and China.

Due to the costs, the rigor and the machines necessary to make them, several brands prefer to import them and test them once they arrive at their control plants.

Condoms

are still an outstanding debt, since they are not marketed in the country.

Some people opt for making latex fields as an immediate solution.

(FILE) Prince Mavendra Singh Gohil poses in suits made from condoms at a gala to mark International Condom Day.

EFE/Rajat Gupta.

International

more relevant in recent years.

In 2017 the AHF of India held a parade in which suits made with prophylactics were shown and Prince

, who openly declared himself gay, participated in the gala. 

look too

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