Skip to main content
Genitourinary Medicine logoLink to Genitourinary Medicine
. 1988 Oct;64(5):344–346. doi: 10.1136/sti.64.5.344

Failure rate of condoms during anogenital intercourse in homosexual men.

G J van Griensven 1, E M de Vroome 1, R A Tielman 1, R A Coutinho 1
PMCID: PMC1194257  PMID: 3203934

Abstract

Two hundred and seventy seven homosexual men participating in an AIDS study in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, were interviewed in July to December 1986 regarding their experiences with the use of condoms during anogenital intercourse. It appeared that in many cases the condoms used could not be described as reliable, or were not used safely. In 8% (117/1468) of cases the condom tore or slipped off. When different condoms were compared, it was seen that "qualified" anal condoms functioned best. Other anal condoms functioned worse, and in many cases even worse than classic vaginal condoms. Whether these differences exclusively depended on differences in quality cannot be assessed. Men who buy a qualified anal condom are possibly more motivated and thus also less likely to have failures. Regarding the apparent unreliability of the condoms used, homosexual men are advised to refrain from anogenital intercourse. When this is not feasible, a qualified anal condom should be used.

Full text

PDF
346

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Curran J. W., Morgan W. M., Hardy A. M., Jaffe H. W., Darrow W. W., Dowdle W. R. The epidemiology of AIDS: current status and future prospects. Science. 1985 Sep 27;229(4720):1352–1357. doi: 10.1126/science.2994217. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Fischl M. A., Dickinson G. M., Scott G. B., Klimas N., Fletcher M. A., Parks W. Evaluation of heterosexual partners, children, and household contacts of adults with AIDS. JAMA. 1987 Feb 6;257(5):640–644. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Kingsley L. A., Detels R., Kaslow R., Polk B. F., Rinaldo C. R., Jr, Chmiel J., Detre K., Kelsey S. F., Odaka N., Ostrow D. Risk factors for seroconversion to human immunodeficiency virus among male homosexuals. Results from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study. Lancet. 1987 Feb 14;1(8529):345–349. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(87)91725-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Mann J., Quinn T. C., Piot P., Bosenge N., Nzilambi N., Kalala M., Francis H., Colebunders R. L., Byers R., Azila P. K. Condom use and HIV infection among prostitutes in Zaire. N Engl J Med. 1987 Feb 5;316(6):345–345. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198702053160616. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Ross M. W. Problems associated with condom use in homosexual men. Am J Public Health. 1987 Jul;77(7):877–877. doi: 10.2105/ajph.77.7.877. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Van de Perre P., Jacobs D., Sprecher-Goldberger S. The latex condom, an efficient barrier against sexual transmission of AIDS-related viruses. AIDS. 1987 May;1(1):49–52. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Wigersma L., Oud R. Safety and acceptability of condoms for use by homosexual men as a prophylactic against transmission of HIV during anogenital sexual intercourse. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1987 Jul 11;295(6590):94–94. doi: 10.1136/bmj.295.6590.94. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. van Griensven G. J., Tielman R. A., Goudsmit J., van der Noordaa J., de Wolf F., de Vroome E. M., Coutinho R. A. Risk factors and prevalence of HIV antibodies in homosexual men in the Netherlands. Am J Epidemiol. 1987 Jun;125(6):1048–1057. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a114620. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Genitourinary Medicine are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES