CDC tells people to stop reusing condoms after washing them, "use a fresh one for each sex act"
Condoms are one use items, but dues to lack of sex education many Americans are resusing the contraceptives after washing them to adverse affect to their healths. The severity of the situation had the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention taking to Twitter to tell people to not do that. “Use a fresh one for each sex act,” the CDC advised, linking to a condom and STD facts and statistics page. "Don't wash or reuse condoms," the agency tweeted. Around 72 percent of Americans adults are expected to be having sex and one in every four is expected of using condoms but it looks like not everyone is using it the right way.
Research has even shown that around three percent of people reuse their condoms, while there are others who put the condom too late or remove it too soon.
"We say it because people do it," the CDC further noted in their tweet.
Condoms effectively reduce the risks of contracting sexually transmitted infection and prevent pregnancies, but that is only possible if one uses it in the right way.
While condoms have been there for a long time, it is surprising that even after all these years there are many people who do not know how to use it properly. Though many were amused by the obviousness of the directive, the CDC move was understandable given the lack of sexual education in the US.
According to a report, fewer than half of US high schools met the CDC’s requirement for sexual education in 2015.
Even though there is only one simple way of using a condom, there are a number of ways in which this can go wrong if one is not educated on the same. The same study states that the most common mistakes people make when using a condom are putting in on too late (as many as 50 percents of respondents) or taking it off too soon (up to 44.7 percent). However, there are a number of other mistakes that one can commit as well.
For instance, unrolling it before putting it on instead of unrolling it onto the penis or partially unrolling it, not leaving space at the tip for semen collection and failing to use lubrication. At the same time, there are times when the condom gets damaged. This can happen due to storing it in the wrong conditions, any contact with a sharp object or fingernail or even oils from lipstick. Its effectiveness is lost if either of this happens.
After the condom has been used, the friction of sex weakens the rubber and this is one of the reasons that it should not be reused. They are also not sterile after one use and any kind of soap or shampoo is not going to be helpful in washing the bacteria or semen off it.