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 Majd El-Samrout, 22, is concerned about the lack of information on condom use and their effectiveness. (ERROL McGIHON/Sun Media) |
OTTAWA - A lack of labelling on condoms is giving sexually active Canadians a false sense of security, experts warn.
They want the federal government to require warnings on packages about how often condoms break and leak, leaving people at greater risk of pregnancy and disease.
"There is a huge variation across brands and types of condoms. They report anywhere from 0% failure rate all the way up as high as 30%," says Eleanor Maticka-Tyndale, Canada's research chair in social justice and sexual health.
She said the failure rates of different condoms should be written on their packages.
"So I can pick up the condom and say this one is 5%, this one is 2%," she said.
Majd El-Samrout, a 22-year-old University of Ottawa student, agrees. He was surprised to learn of failure rates.
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"I am shocked. They should tell you that on the box," he said.
Infection control
Maticka-Tyndale and her research partner, Maher El-Masri, an infection control researcher, are beginning a study at the University of Windsor looking at the formation of microscopic holes in condoms during sex, which could allow infectious agents to pass.
El-Masri's studies on latex gloves used in hospitals found that gloves "tended to break." Not all materials were as effective, not all manufacturers were the same, and the durability of gloves before use was not the same as after use, El-Masri said.
He wonders if the same is true for condoms.
Maticka-Tyndale says in research done where one partner is HIV positive and the other isn't, uninfected partners are 80% less likely to catch the disease if they use condoms. But there is still a 20% failure rate, she said.
"We always assumed that whatever the failure rate is, it is due to human error -- that we don't store them properly, we get our fingernails caught in them, we don't make sure that there is enough air in the tip," she said.
"But what if they're not manufactured as well as they could be? That's an important part of the puzzle because in many cases you can improve the manufacturing of a product more easily than you can change human behaviour."
Human error accounts for a large part of the research on condom effectiveness -- health agencies constantly remind the public that condoms must be used correctly and consistently.
Various studies show breakage and slippage happens about 6-8% of the time with new users. For people with five years of experience below their belt, the rate is around 1.5% to 3%.
Consistent use means using a condom 100% of the time without exception, said
Dr. Joshua Mann, a professor at the University of South Carolina, has done mathematical modelling on the risks of sexually transmitted diseases with condoms.
"Many people who are at risk for STD are people who go from one partner to another every few weeks or months (and) condom use tends to wane over time for people in relationships," he said.
Best available
Even if used consistently, if you are having sex with an infected person "over time, it will get you," warns Dr. Thomas Fitch, a clinical professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Texas Health Science Center.
Experts warn condoms only cover so much; human papillomavirus (HPV) and herpes can be transmitted through skin contact. Condom effectiveness also depends on transmission rates of different diseases.
Still, condoms offer the best protection available apart from abstinence.
Public health agencies often report that condoms are effective 85% to 98% of the time, but the data is from population studies of pregnancy rates among couples who use condoms.
"That means that in a year, if couples use condoms perfectly, 2% would become pregnant, and if they used it typically, about 15% would become pregnant," said Adele Lane, manager of the healthy sexuality program at Peel Public Health.
Similar numbers used to be included on condom packaging, said Fitch, who is also the lead author of a study on condom effectiveness. He believes the figures should return.
Trojan insists its products, when used consistently and correctly, are 98% effective.
James Daniels, vice-president of marketing for Trojan in the U.S., won't say if the company would support putting condom effectiveness rates on Trojan labels, but points out consumers spend only 10 seconds deciding which condoms they want.
But Fitch believes condom labels should better inform consumers.
"People need to understand what risks they are taking," he said.
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DID YOU KNOW?
- Health Canada requires only that condom labels claim they "reduce the risk" of transmitting STDs.
- Condoms should not be kept in wallets.
- Condoms should be put on before foreplay.
- The word "condom" is not regulated. Anything can be called a condom.
- Health Canada stopped testing condoms in 1998.
- There are 18.9 million new sexually transmitted infections in the U.S. every year.
- In Canada, the rates of all three reportable STDs have gone up since 1997.
- Chlamydia has increased 91% (highest among 15-24 females).
- Gonorrhea increased 134% (highest among 20-24-year-old males and 15-24-year-old females).
- Syphilis increased 800% (highest among 30-39-year-old-males).
- 1564 -- First published description of the male condom.
- Ancient Egypt -- Used sheath to cover the penis during intercourse.
-- Sources: Health Canada, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Trojan,
Public Health Agency of Canada,
The American Sexually Transmitted Disease Association
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CONDOM TYPES
Latex condom
- Helps reduce risk
- $0.60 to $1
Polyurethane condom
- Helps reduce risk but may break more often than latex
- $2.25 to $3.75
Sheepskin condom
- Does not reduce risk of STDs/STIs -- only offers protection for pregnancy
- $3.25 to $4.50
Novelty condom
- Does not offer protection
- $0.25-$2
Sources: World Health Organization (WHO), CDC, Trojan, Durex, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Agency of Canada