Condom Fit: Too Tight, Too Loose or Just Right?
In this survey we also wanted to investigate how men felt about the way in which the condoms they use fitted them. The fit of a condom can have a major impact on successful condom use – for example if a condom is too loose it might be prone to slippage during sex or, if it is too tight, there might be a higher chance of breakage. As well as these physical problems, ill-fitting products which cause discomfort or are difficult to put on are likely to be a major reason for rejecting condom use as a highly effective method of contraception and barrier protection against sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Making sure that the products which are available fit properly is an important part of promoting condom use.
Condom Fit Rating
Survey respondents were asked how they perceived the fit of their usual condom brand. Whilst just under half (47%) felt their condom fitted properly, 15% felt it was either too loose or much too loose, and a little more than a third (35%) felt their condoms were either too tight or much too tight. Circumcised men did not differ significantly from uncircumcised men in their perception of condom fit. Chart
Improving Condom Fit
Given that penis sizes vary quite widely – as we’ve seen in our survey results – it is perhaps not too surprising that 50% of the men taking part in our survey felt that the condoms they were using didn’t fit properly. Historically, condoms have been made in quite a limited range of shapes and sizes and there has been some recent research which has indicated that the availability of a wider range of condoms might have a significant positive impact on condom use (Institute of Population Studies, University of Exeter (1998), Condom shape: a neglected factor influencing use and acceptability?)
We asked those taking part in our survey what, if anything, could be done to improve the fit of their condoms by ticking one or more of a range of options. For those men who felt condom fit could be improved the most popular step would be to make condoms with a ‘better shape’. Breaking this down in detail, increasing the width of the condom at the head of the penis appears to be a major part of this, with more than twice the number of responses suggesting an increase in width compared to a reduction in condom width at this point. For the other options – altering condom length, overall width and base width – there were roughly equal numbers favouring increases or decreases in length/width. Chart
