IU study finds erection loss due to condom use might lead to increased 'risky behavior'

Erection loss due to condom use might contribute to risky sex behaviors, according to a recent study conducted by the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction at IU. \nApplied Health Science Department professor William Yarber, who co-authored the report, said men who experience this kind of erection loss are more likely to engage in unprotected sex, which could ultimately lead to the contraction of a sexually transmitted disease or unplanned pregnancy. \nAlthough the researchers aren't sure why the use of a condom could play a role in erection loss, University of Kentucky professor Richard Crosby, another co-author of the study and the co-director of the IU-based Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention, offered suggestions on how to lower the chances having such a problem. \n"Having the right kind of condom, the right size, the right shape and the right amount of lubrication (can help)," he said. "Without that good fit or that correct feel, the condom may distract substantially from sexual experience." \nConfidence, the study showed, is another key factor in evading erection loss. \n"Our findings suggest that if men feel confident, if they have the right fit and feel ... chances are good that they will not experience this form of erection loss," Crosby said.\nThe study found that 40 percent of test subjects reported condom-associated erection loss at least once in the previous three months. \nThe test subjects consisted of 278 men between the ages of 18 and 35 who had visited an urban STD clinic in the Midwest between October 2004 and September 2005. The men completed a "pencil and paper survey," Yarber said. Results from the surveys also revealed 13.4 percent of test subjects lost their erection during intercourse while using a condom. 9.4 percent reported that this happened twice, and 3.6 percent reported that it happened three times. \nThe study also reported that detrimental effects of erection loss due to condom use are not limited to men. \n"Certainly whenever the erection is lost either partially or fully, that can be a problem for the female because it can be that sex does not conclude and she may not orgasm," Crosby said.\nThis particular study is the first to evaluate erection problems associated with condom use and will be among an ongoing line of research at the Kinsey Institute concerning condom errors and problems. Yarber said he believes this study is a valuable one "that will spread awareness on an important area of study." \nThe findings of the study will be printed in the upcoming November issue of Sexual Health.