The Condom Monologues

There has been discussions by critics, such as women’s rights groups and HIV/AIDs activists, that this invention has the potential to provide more agency to women who may have little access to, or are forbidden to use condoms.  Known as the “invisible condom”, this new technology works as a gel in the form of liquid, which is introduced into the vagina.  It’s transparent, colorless, orderless and is said not to be felt by either the woman or her partner.  This invisible condom has been under study for 17 years and is currently being tested in human trails run by Laval University in Quebec.  Basically, it is a gel containing microbiocides that act as a barrier to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.  Plus, with a bit of spermicide, it can be used to prevent pregnancy.  Thus far, the invisible condom has shown to be effective for at least two hours if stored at room temperature. 
The temperature required for its effectiveness is the current trouble for researchers.  As Dr Michel Alary, an AIDS specialist for Laval University told BBC News back in 2000, “the extremely high temperatures in sub-Saharan African countries could prevent the gel working there if it requires room temperature to be effective. Refrigerators are not readily available for most women in the area, which has one of the highest rates of AIDS in the world.”  More recent news on the research website  does not state that this problem has been overcome yet.
Nonetheless, the purpose of this research is tremendous- demanding women have more control over their bodies; providing more negotiating power against AIDS and STIs- these are the social subjects that surround the discussion.  But certainly, there are more individuals and social groups that can benefit from this invisible condom than what mainstream news has acknowledged: Lesbians and gay men, sex workers, teens, refugees, to name a few.  Once this condom becomes available, new benefits and uses will arise, as this is common of new technology.  According to WebMD, the World Health Organization hopes to supply subsidies for low-income countries.  For North America and Europe, it should be the same price or cheaper than a male latex condom.                

A new solution for the infamous condom-shape-and-size question:  The Spay On Condom. 

Image from Inventorspot.com

The Spray On Condom was inspired by spray-on plaster technology used in medicine.  This is how it works:  The penis is inserted into a cylinder chamber.  Then one pushes a button and a pump squirts liquid latex from all sides onto the penis in about 10 seconds (although the companies involved, Condom Consultancy with Vinicoand Qualo Design, have claimed that they can reduce the time to 5 seconds).  The rubber dries instantly once sprayed on and can be removed just like a regular condom.
Now, ”Spray On” does not necessarily mean that the absence of a wrapper will solve the mood-breaker problem some people experience.  There is a machine involved.  And according to InventorSpot, it hisses.  Instead, the theoretical advantage is that the latex will form to one’s unique shape and size, as opposed to typical condoms which are tailored to a public average of 5.7in length, 4.7in penis circumference.    
The Spray-On Condom is still going through human trails.  Reseachers remain to have problems with the latex spraying on evenly.          
   

Hi World and Condom Monologuers alike! 

Since the launch of Condom Monologues in late Febuary, 2008, we’ve developed many ideas for what topics and issues could be shared here.  Initially, and most importantly, Condom Monologues was created to converge our experiences and knowledges of condom sex.  As of now, our Condom Reviews and Stories have slowly grown and our Condom Size Chart (the most visited page here) has been updated to help people understand condom fitting and branding.  We have been welcomed by over 11,000 visitors and are confident that this number will increase as we begin to diversify the site.     

One aspect that we will improve is to include more information about female condoms and dental dams.  We would like to give both technical information, such as how to use condoms, how condoms should fit, and also to give more personal stories from an array of sexualities.  We want to clear some health-facts confussion, particularly on issues of lubricants and STD transmission.  Furthermore, we aim to increase the number of charted condom sizes and brands reviewed.

Other ideas are 1) Include a Condom History page, that talks about the invention of the condom technology and the folklores that have followed. 2) A Sex Education page that covers policy issues, such as the United State’s Abstinence Only Program.  3) A Condoms in Cinema page to pay tribute to all those films that acknowledge the realities of sex and “sexify” condom use. 4) A Funnies page containig condom jokes and ridiculous condom stories.       

Ideas are bursting and bustling across this website.  We absolutely need to hear your thoughts as to how to improve Condom Monologues.  What condom topics would you like to see covered here?

Thanks!  The Condom Monologues Team   

Finding a great condom is best done through trial & error. But that can get expensive. Here, we offer sources to ease those test runs- Free Condom Offer Links. The internet has bred so much competition among condom manufacturers, thus leading to many suppliers offering free condom sample packs in the hope that you will come back for more.

Flavors, sizes, shapes- you might as well try them all, so here is a list of places in North America that we found to get free condoms.

This list will be growing and including more countries as we research, so please sign up to our RSS feed or by email (see top right) to keep up with any updates.

Trojan Official Website:
Here you can get a free sample of either their Trojan Enz, Trojan Her Pleasure or Trojan Magnum including free delivery. Click here to get the sample.

Trojan Natural Lamb
They are offering a free sample of their Natural Lamb completely latex free condom, again with free delivery. Click here to get the sample.

Beyond Seven
I had never heard of these before. Sadly, I can’t get them delivered in Canada. Thus, I will have to use a US address and try them when I return for a few weeks. They ask you to fill out a survey first, but it is a totally free sample of a condom in their range. Click here to go to their form.

Relax Condoms
I think these are only available in Canada as they are Licensed by Health Canada. Anyway, they will send you a completely free sample. Click here for more.

NYC Condom
Residents of NYC can get free male and female condoms and lubricants by visiting various establishments in the city or calling 311. Organizations can order on line here.

Condom USA
They offer a range of Durex and Japanese condom 10 packs for free, but you have to pay for delivery, unless you order other stuff with them. Delivery is typically around $5, which is still cheaper than buying a 10 pack from the pharmacy. Click here.

Often you can also get free condoms at Planned Parenthood. See their website for more details.

This list is by all means not a full comprehensive list and we will be looking at expanding it whenever we find a new way to get condoms for free.

Please let us know of any free condom programs, or if any of the links above no longer work.

Thanks for reading.

Due to the fact that every penis is different, one single comprehensive condom size chart seems impossible. Yet when it comes to condoms, size (and shape) is everything- for effective protection, comfort and pleasure. This article aims to consolidate info about each leading U.S. brand’s size schemes, hoping to lessen the confusion over what fit is the true fit for men.

** Please note that this article will be updated whenever we get new sizes, brands or information. We will also include dental dams. So please subscribe to our RSS feed or enter your email in the box on the top right of this page. **

This is not a condom company endorsement! Simply due to the fact that the major brands in the U.S. are Durex, Trojan and Lifestyles, our first aim is to gather sizing information from these brands.

Penis size chart:

Identify your penis size according to the average rubric most condom companies follow. Here are two charts created from a Lifestyles 2001 study. Facts are sourced from Wikipedia’s article “Human penis size“.

The study found that the average penis length was 14.9 cm (5.9 in) and the average circumference being 12.6 cm (5.0 in)- see chart below. 401 college students volunteered to be measured during 2001 Spring Break in Cancún, Mexico, of which 300 gained an erection to be clinically measured (without pharmacological aid). The 300 effective measurements makes this study double the size of any prior study that uses medical staff to measure penis size.

Now onto the condom size chart for major U.S. brands:

Durex condom size chart

Durex was the only brand for which we found measurements for each individual product. Above each diagram are the condoms which apply. More information can be found at Durex.com.

Avanti:

Extra Sensitive / Love / Play Sensations / Play Sensations Thins / Performax / Natural Feeling / Warming Pleasure / Tingling Pleasure / XXL: (All the same size snd shape? Even XXL!)

Pleasuremax / Pleasuremax Warming / Pleasuremax tingling / Mutual Pleasure:

Tropical / Ultimate Feeling:

Her Sensation / High Sensation:

Intense Sensation:

If you need the sizing for any other Durex condoms, then please feel free to leave a comment and we will try and find them for you.

Trojan condom size chart

Trojan are the number one US condom brand. Their website is a visual treat, which can be found at TrojanCondoms.com. However, sizing is not as comprehensive as Durex. They classify their condoms in Regular, Large and Extra Large.

Below is a list of where each product fits under that scale.

Regular
TROJAN® Very Sensitive Lubricant Condoms,
TROJAN® Ultra Thin Spermicidal Lubricant Condoms,
TROJAN® Ultra Thin Lubricated Condoms,
TROJAN® Ultra Ribbed Spermicidal Lubricant Condoms,
TROJAN® Ultra Ribbed Lubricated Condoms,
TROJAN® Ultra Pleasure® Spermicidal Lubricant Condoms,
TROJAN® Ultra Pleasure® Lubricant Condoms,
TROJAN® Twisted Pleasure™ Lubricated Condoms,
TROJAN® Shared Pleasure™ Condoms with Warm Sensations™ Lubricant,
TROJAN® Pleasure Pack Lubricated Condoms,
TROJAN® Non-Lubricated™ Condoms, TROJAN® Mint Tingle® Condoms,
TROJAN® Her Pleasure™ with Warm Sensations Lubricant Condoms,
TROJAN® Her Pleasure™ Spermicidal Lubricant Condoms,
TROJAN® Her Pleasure™ Lubricated Condoms,
TROJAN® Extended Pleasure™ Condoms with Climax Control Lubricant,
Trojan-ENZ® Spermicidal Lubricant Condoms,
Trojan-ENZ® Lubricated Condoms,
Elexa™ Warming Condoms, Elexa™ Ultra Sensitive Condoms,
Elexa™ Stimulating Condoms, Elexa™ Natural Feel Condoms,
Trojan Supra® Condoms (these are their only non-latex condoms).

Large
MAGNUM® Warm Sensations™ Lubricated Condoms,
MAGNUM® Twister™ Lubricated Condoms,
MAGNUM® Lubricated Condoms.

Extra Large
MAGNUM® XL Lubricated Condoms.

If you need the sizing for any other Trojan condoms then please feel free to leave a comment and we will try and find them for you

Lifestlyes

We are researching further into the sizing of Lifestyles Condoms. They’re particular difficult chart, since most of their condoms are not shown with dimesions. You can check out our Condom Brand Reviews page, join the discussions and give us your ratings on Lifestyles and other brands.

From the limited information we have gathered, most Lifestyles Condoms are tailored towards the “average” penis size determined by their 2001 study discussed above: The average condom length at 7.0 inches; the average width at 2 inches. However,

LifeStyles® Snugger Fit has a tighter width.
LifeStyles® His & Her Pleasure has an oversized tip. Funny enough, this condom is larger than Lifestyles King Size XL.

More information will be available soon, so please subscribe to our RSS feed or enter your email in the box on the top right of this page for updates.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America, a sexual and reproductive health care provider, is receiving a percentage of proceeds from a new condom line called Proper Attire TM. What’s unique about these condoms are its stylish packaging, from pastels to polka dots to Victorian-like fig leaf print. Also new is its exclusionary retail. Sold only at boutique shops and selective hotels for $6.00 +, its mostly middle-upper class Dandies that are buying. According to Planned Parenthood News Room this new condom strategy hopes to make it cool for women to carry condoms.
“Social taboos make some women embarrassed to buy and carry condoms. That’s why PROPER ATTIRETM was created,” said PPFA President Cecile Richards. “With its fashionable wrapping, women will now have the option to choose the right ‘attire’ for that special occasion.”
I’m unsure how to feel about targeting women to buy condoms through the superficial rhetoric of fashion. In an attempt to debunk the stereotype that men are the condom-holders, Proper Attire seems to be investing in another gender stereotype. One that echoes “Beauty Myth.” Furthermore, its posh prices and locale reduces accessibility.
Would it not be more proper for condom lines to focus on effectiveness, comfort, and accessibility rather than just pretty packaging?
Nonetheless, it is obvious that Proper Attire’s aim is to make condoms widely appealing and socially acceptable. Perhaps it is better to have a variety of choices- contraceptives feeding a range of taste, cohorts, and occasions… however those demographics are marketed. Perhaps the cause predominates its means, particularly for the non-profit.