Self-Lubricating Latex could Boost Condom use

Scientists at Boston University have created a self-lubricating condom that they hope will further encourage the use of this method of contraception that may be abandoned by some users due to discomfort and lack of lubrication adequate.

Condoms are the only contraceptive method proven to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV infection. Despite this known fact, some obstacles to massive and effective use persist, including personal reservations.
Indeed, some users fear that condoms will reduce sensitivity, cause discomfort or discomfort during sexual intercourse or because they have had an unpleasant experience in this area. To ensure that men and women around the world routinely use them, researchers at Boston University have created a new kind of material.

They had the idea to design a self-lubricating latex used with raw materials to make condoms, giving a "slippery feeling" in the presence of natural body fluids. And unlike commercially available water-based or oil-based lubricants that users buy with condoms, this "hydrophilic latex" retains that feeling almost indefinitely. "73% of participants expressed a preference for a condom containing this lubricant coating, agreeing that a condom" slippery "by nature that would remain for a long time would increase their use," explain the researchers.

More Effective than the use of Lubricants

According to them, such a coating could be an effective strategy to reduce the pain of friction for both women and men and thus increase user satisfaction. Because without lubricants, latex or polyurethane condoms have a lubrication that will tend to "wear out" during a prolonged report, while the lubricants that can be added lose their properties over time. "The discomfort caused by sex and the decrease in pleasure, noted by 77% of men and 40% of women in a national survey conducted in the United States, are often cited as reasons not to use a condom," add Researchers.

They believe that this problem can be solved simply by adding a "coating" of a polymer made of moisture-activated molecules that trap liquids instead of repelling them, as is the case with latex. This material has the advantage of not affecting the effectiveness of the latex while providing low friction even in case of prolonged sexual intercourse. In contact testing, volunteers expressed a clear preference for these "inherently slippery" condoms. But since the material has not yet been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, this new condom has not been tested yet during sex.

The condom of the future?

"But more than 90 percent of the volunteers said they would consider using condoms and more than half said they would probably use condoms more frequently if this type of condom was available on the market," the researchers conclude. According to the Boston Globe newspaper, which relays this discovery, their project was funded by a $ 100,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which, several years ago, launched a call for projects. to "develop the new generation of condoms": new models that significantly enhance or enhance pleasure or are easier to use.

Projects selected from all proposals include the design of a composite male condom with a universal fit and designed to gently tighten during intercourse, improving sensation and reliability, or a condom applicator , the Rapidom, designed for easy application and in one movement, minimizing interruptions during reports. For researchers at Boston University, the next step is a market research and clinical trials of couples in 2019, hoping to commercialize their model in the next two years.