The world of protected sex is about to change with the invention of a self-lubricating condom. The contraception was created by a group of researchers at the Boston University from a $100,000 grant awarded them by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, could reduce the risks of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection.
Every sexually active person is more likely to purchase a condom that increases sexual pleasure, and this new invention does precisely that and is less likely to break while you are having sex with your partner than the regular condoms that you have to lubricate on your own.
With three years of research and the use of polymer coating and about a thousand different formulations to develop, this new condom can draw moisture from your sexual partner’s self-lubrication on contact, and this binds to the condom coating.
The lead researcher Mark Grinstaff told the Fast Company that the moisture which is drawn from your sexual partner’s moisture forms “a thin layer of water on the surface which makes it slippery.” He added that “binds to the surface of the latex condom and does not come off.”
Grindstaff who is a professor of biomedical engineering and chemistry was a co-author of the study that has been published in the British journal called Royal Society Open Science shared during an interview that: “Preventing the spread of HIV and other diseases are critically important. That really was the driving force for creating new technology here.”
The study points out that the polymer makes sure that the condom remains lubricated for up to a thousand thrusts, which is way more than what researchers define as typical intercourse which is believed to last between 100 and 500 thrusts.
Unlike the regular condoms, this newly created condom can retain it’s lubrication when in a large body of water, which means sex in the shower or in a swimming pool will go as smoothly as possible (Good news right?).
At the moment, this new condom is yet to be tried out by anyone during sex. However, a tough test during the research revealed that a total of 75 per cent of respondents indicated that they preferred the new prophylactic to the regular condoms, and another 85 per cent of respondents thought it was too slippery.
Stacy Chin, who also co-authored the study and is also the CEO of start-up HydroGlyde Coatings, which hopes to bring the new product to the market in the next two years.
Stacy said: “Poor lubrication encourages condom misusage,” adding that scientists are aware that if they can “improve comfort for users, we can enable them to wear condoms more consistently and appropriately, preventing STIs and unplanned pregnancies.”
According to Grindstaff: “those in our survey who don’t typically use a condom said they would consider using a condom if it stayed slippery like this.” He included that there is yet to be any significant development in this field for a long time, explaining that the “Glow-in-the-dark condoms and flavoured condoms are clever gimmicks that don’t help performance. I think we can do better.”
It may sound weird, but it has been discovered that a lot of people wash and reuse condoms, so much so that the government of the United States of America saw the need to warn the general public againt engaging in such a thing earlier this year.
Back in August, the division of STD prevention of the Center for the Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) took to tweeter to disseminate a rather timely warning and reminder regarding the general use of condom saying: “We say it because people do it: Don’t wash or reuse #condoms! Use a fresh one for each #sex act.”
