Some men – and women too – dislike condoms so much that they can’t fully enjoy sex because rubbers affect them psychologically and physically. This may change soon with a new condom designed to maintain long-lasting, stronger erections. Why?
According to Dr Debby Herbenick – associate director of the centre for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University, one of the lead scientists behind the National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior and Gizmodo’s sex expert – the new condom may have a market among men who struggle with prophylactics:
Some men notice erection difficulties while using condoms, so I would imagine there’s a market for an erection-enhancing condom.
However, she points out that there are other natural options to deal with this and that the new condom opens some questions:
What are the concerns of such substances being transferred to the man’s partner during sex? And what about if the man or his partner are taking medications, such as nitrates? All things to consider.
How does it work
According to the manufacturer Futura Medical, the new condom is safe. Called CSD500, it uses a gel that increases the blood flow into the penis. This gel is usually employed to increase heart blood flow for angina patients but – according to the testing phase – used in the condom it results in stronger erections that last longer.
They also argue that, by enhancing the quality of the erection, the condom will stay in place, greatly reducing the change of slip-offs. According to Futura Medical’s James Barder, the challenge in its design was having “a stable product in a condom – a gel that doesn’t do anything detrimental to the condom. Some products can degrade the latex very quickly. It has to be immobilised in the condom.” According to him, the key to this new prophylactic is that they found a way to do just that.
Not a viagra replacement
This new technology, however, is not a replacement for pills like Viagra, which are designed to solve erectile dysfunction and impotence. These new prophylactics are enhancers for people who don’t have trouble getting an erection but struggle when they have to use a condom.
So, if it’s not a Viagra replacement, would this erection-enhancing technology be a strong enough argument to promote the use of rubbers among men? For most people who have problems with the feeling of latex, chances are that it would not. For those who just get nervous by the awkwardness, it may be a good solution whenever it’s approved for use in the marketplace. [WSJ via Daily Mail]