According to a new study, condoms don’t reduce sensitivity nor do they cause erectile dysfunction.
The Daily Beast reports that approximately 500 men between ages 18-24 years participated in the study. The results: 38 percent of participants reported condoms had no effect on their performance in the bedroom, while around that same percentage said they experienced problems either during application or sex itself.
“Condom-associated erection problems have been a very under-researched topic,” exlplained Dr. Cynthia Graham, who co-authored the study which was published by The Journal of Sexual Medicine this month. “Increasing evidence suggests, however, that they may influence whether condoms are used correctly or from start to finish of sex.”
The study goes on to argue that a guy’s psychological state may have more to do with his ability (or lack thereof) to get it up than the condom itself.
Never Miss a Beat
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.
“Men who first experience loss of erection when they use condoms might worry about [difficulty] experiencing erections more generally and hence be more vulnerable [to erectile problems],” the study states before citing another study that found roughly 16 percent of men under the age of 40 reported trouble with maintaining an erection, and then another study that found difficulties performing usually only lasted for the first 60 seconds of sexual activity.
Researchers also learned that more than one third of participants reported that they were never actually taught how to use a condom, which may factor into why they believe using one can have a negative impact in the sack. Their conclusion: Schools need to up their game when it comes to sexual education.
