Dear Anne, Help! I get a terrible rash when I use latex condoms. Why is it that most condoms are latex, and are the alternatives safe? -- "Allergic Peter"
Latex allergy is an increasingly common problem, with up to three percent of the general population experiencing adverse reactions such as rashes, itching and irritation when exposed to this material. As you've discovered, this makes latex condoms about as appealing as poison ivy toilet paper. Since we all know that condoms are the best way to protect against sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy, finding non-latex alternatives to the traditional condom is crucial.
I say "traditional" because latex has pretty much dominated the condom field for 150 years. Derived from the sap of the Hevea brasiliensistree, latex has endured all sorts of modifications -- fruit flavoring, ribbing for her pleasure, desperately hopeful enlargements -- but its basic composition hasn't changed. Long before latex, however, men were wrapping their penises in various other materials. Contraceptive lore has it that ancient Greeks used linen sheaths to protect against STIs as early as 1000 B.C. We have syphilis to thank, however, for really launching condoms into popularity when the epidemic of this disease taught 16th-century Europeans just how important it was to package their packages.
The condom craze escalated further over the next couple of centuries, when folks realized that chemically-treated linen condoms could also prevent pregnancy. Before long, condoms fashioned from cured animal intestines were also used as baby-blockers, and playing the earliest form of pigskin became the preferred activity of many. Many couples still use "natural" condoms for birth control, but these condoms are useless against STIs: The pores in sheep-gut may be small enough to prevent the passage of sperm, but bacteria and viruses still have no trouble sneaking through.
Given the ineffectiveness of animal condoms in disease prevention, the 18th-century condom market was ready for a better barrier. A major step forward occurred in the 1800s when a fellow named Goodyear discovered how to vulcanize rubber, bringing a new level of sophistication both to wheels and to contraception. (It seems to me that this connection imparts a whole new meaning to those commercials showing a baby helplessly trapped inside a tire.) Thus began the long reign of the latex condom.
Although it has revolutionized safe sex, latex isn't without its flaws. In addition to provoking allergic reactions in many, some people find latex's texture and odor to be prohibitive. Enter the synthetic condom. Initially available in 1995, the Durex Avanti was the first of these, with the eZ-on polyurethane and Tactylon condoms close at its heels. The thrust, so to speak, of the marketing for these products is that they allow improved sensitivity without compromising strength. In addition to being odorless, colorless and non-allergenic, synthetic condoms also boast increased "heat transmissibility" and longer shelf life compared to latex.
One area in which synthetic condom manufacturers cannot claim superiority, however, is in protection against pregnancy and STIs. Based on pore size alone, they theoretically should work as well as latex condoms, but in practice other factors also contribute to effectiveness. In 2003, reviews comparing synthetic and latex condoms as birth control methods found that while the Avanti and Tactylon condoms did prevent pregnancy as well as latex condoms, the eZ-on didn't measure up -- apparently, couples also found it eZ-off. Subsequent studies have found higher rates of breakage in all the synthetic condoms compared to latex, suggesting they are probably less effective at preventing disease transmission. Based on this data, the general consensus is that while synthetic condoms are an acceptable alternative for those with latex allergies, latex remains the best option for everyone else.
On that note, I'll wrap it up -- and so should you, with the best protection available -- as long as it doesn't cause you to break out in hives.
Anne Mills is a Cavalier Daily Health & Sexuality Columnist. She can be reached at mills@cavalierdaily.com or through the Sex & Balances submission page at cavalierdaily.com/sex.asp. This column should be used for educational purposes only and is not meant to substitute advice from your doctor.
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