Condoms Don’t Ruin Sex, Study Says

If you, along with many other people out there, think that condoms decrease sexual sensitivity you may be mistaken.

A new study reveals that having sex with condoms is just as pleasurable as having sex without them, according to the report that was published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

"American men and women rated sex as highly arousing and pleasurable regardless of whether condoms and/or lubricants were used," an Indiana University press release said about the study.

Debby Herbenick and Michael Reece, the researchers that led the Indiana University School of Public Health study, studied men and women between the ages of 18 and 59 to analyze the characteristics of condom and lubricant use during the participants' latest sexual encounter, according to the university's press release. The researchers then studied the relationship between the condom and lubricant use and their rating of sexual quality.

"Results showed that men and women consistently rate sex as highly arousing and pleasurable with few differences based on condom or lubricant use," the study reports. "More than twice as many women than men were unsure whether the condom was lubricated--26.6 percent vs. 11.4 percent--or from what material it was made--23.6 percent vs. 8.9 percent."

Herbenick said that these results reflect the fact that men are more likely to purchase and apply condoms--stressing the importance of women becoming more familiar with the types of condoms they use with their partner so they can practice safe and pleasurable sex.

The study did not show that condoms or lubricant use reduced male erections.

But the intention of the study speaks to a larger issue than just the pleasure factor of a sexual experience.

"The U.S. continues to grapple with high rates of sexually transmitted infections, HIV and unintended pregnancies," Herbenick said. "We need to understand how people make choices about the products they use, or avoid using, and how these products contribute to the safety and pleasurable aspect of their sexual experiences." 

(Source)