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Common procedures in infertility treatment such as semen analysis and intrauterine insemination ( IUI ) require collection of semen samples . These are most commonly obtained through masturbation , but an alternative to masturbation is use of a special collection condom to collect semen during sexual intercourse .
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Collection condoms are made from silicone or polyurethane , as latex is somewhat harmful to sperm . Many men prefer collection condoms to masturbation , and some religions prohibit masturbation entirely . Also , compared with samples obtained from masturbation , semen samples from collection condoms have higher total sperm counts , sperm motility , and percentage of sperm with normal morphology . For this reason , they are believed to give more accurate results when used for semen analysis , and to improve the chances of pregnancy when used in procedures such as intracervical or intrauterine insemination . Adherents of religions that prohibit contraception , such as Catholicism , may use collection condoms with holes pricked in them .
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For fertility treatments , a collection condom may be used to collect semen during sexual intercourse where the semen is provided by the woman 's partner . Private sperm donors may also use a collection condom to obtain samples through masturbation or by sexual intercourse with a partner and will transfer the ejaculate from the collection condom to a specially designed container . The sperm is transported in such containers , in the case of a donor , to a recipient woman to be used for insemination , and in the case of a woman 's partner , to a fertility clinic for processing and use . However , transportation may reduce the fecundity of the sperm . Collection condoms may also be used where semen is produced at a sperm bank or fertility clinic .
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Condom therapy is sometimes prescribed to infertile couples when the female has high levels of antisperm antibodies . The theory is that preventing exposure to her partner 's semen will lower her level of antisperm antibodies , and thus increase her chances of pregnancy when condom therapy is discontinued . However , condom therapy has not been shown to increase subsequent pregnancy rates .
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= = = Other uses = = =
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Condoms excel as multipurpose containers and barriers because they are waterproof , elastic , durable , and ( for military and espionage uses ) will not arouse suspicion if found .
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Ongoing military utilization began during World War II , and includes covering the muzzles of rifle barrels to prevent fouling , the waterproofing of firing assemblies in underwater demolitions , and storage of corrosive materials and garrotes by paramilitary agencies .
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Condoms have also been used to smuggle alcohol , cocaine , heroin , and other drugs across borders and into prisons by filling the condom with drugs , tying it in a knot and then either swallowing it or inserting it into the rectum . These methods are very dangerous and potentially lethal ; if the condom breaks , the drugs inside become absorbed into the bloodstream and can cause an overdose .
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Medically , condoms can be used to cover endovaginal ultrasound probes , or in field chest needle decompressions they can be used to make a one @-@ way valve .
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Condoms have also been used to protect scientific samples from the environment , and to waterproof microphones for underwater recording .
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= = Types = =
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Most condoms have a reservoir tip or teat end , making it easier to accommodate the man 's ejaculate . Condoms come in different sizes , from oversized to snug and they also come in a variety of surfaces intended to stimulate the user 's partner . Condoms are usually supplied with a lubricant coating to facilitate penetration , while flavored condoms are principally used for oral sex . As mentioned above , most condoms are made of latex , but polyurethane and lambskin condoms also exist .
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= = = Female condom = = =
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Male condoms have a tight ring to form a seal around the penis while female condoms typically have a large stiff ring to keep them from slipping into the body orifice . The Female Health Company produced a female condom that was initially made of polyurethane , but newer versions are made of nitrile . Medtech Products produces a female condom made of latex .
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= = = Materials = = =
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= = = = Natural latex = = = =
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Latex has outstanding elastic properties : Its tensile strength exceeds 30 MPa , and latex condoms may be stretched in excess of 800 % before breaking . In 1990 the ISO set standards for condom production ( ISO 4074 , Natural latex rubber condoms ) , and the EU followed suit with its CEN standard ( Directive 93 / 42 / EEC concerning medical devices ) . Every latex condom is tested for holes with an electric current . If the condom passes , it is rolled and packaged . In addition , a portion of each batch of condoms is subject to water leak and air burst testing .
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While the advantages of latex have made it the most popular condom material , it does have some drawbacks . Latex condoms are damaged when used with oil @-@ based substances as lubricants , such as petroleum jelly , cooking oil , baby oil , mineral oil , skin lotions , suntan lotions , cold creams , butter or margarine . Contact with oil makes latex condoms more likely to break or slip off due to loss of elasticity caused by the oils . Additionally , latex allergy precludes use of latex condoms and is one of the principal reasons for the use of other materials . In May 2009 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted approval for the production of condoms composed of Vytex , latex that has been treated to remove 90 % of the proteins responsible for allergic reactions . An allergen @-@ free condom made of synthetic latex ( polyisoprene ) is also available .
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= = = = Synthetic = = = =
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The most common non @-@ latex condoms are made from polyurethane . Condoms may also be made from other synthetic materials , such as AT @-@ 10 resin , and most recently polyisoprene .
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Polyurethane condoms tend to be the same width and thickness as latex condoms , with most polyurethane condoms between 0 @.@ 04 mm and 0 @.@ 07 mm thick .
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Polyurethane can be considered better than latex in several ways : it conducts heat better than latex , is not as sensitive to temperature and ultraviolet light ( and so has less rigid storage requirements and a longer shelf life ) , can be used with oil @-@ based lubricants , is less allergenic than latex , and does not have an odor . Polyurethane condoms have gained FDA approval for sale in the United States as an effective method of contraception and HIV prevention , and under laboratory conditions have been shown to be just as effective as latex for these purposes .
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However , polyurethane condoms are less elastic than latex ones , and may be more likely to slip or break than latex , lose their shape or bunch up more than latex , and are more expensive .
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Polyisoprene is a synthetic version of natural rubber latex . While significantly more expensive , it has the advantages of latex ( such as being softer and more elastic than polyurethane condoms ) without the protein which is responsible for latex allergies . Like polyurethane condoms , polyisoprene condoms are said to do a better job of transmitting body heat . Unlike polyurethane condoms , they cannot be used with an oil @-@ based lubricant .
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= = = = Lambskin = = = =
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Condoms made from sheep intestines , labeled " lambskin " , are also available . Although they are generally effective as a contraceptive by blocking sperm , it is presumed that they are likely less effective than latex in preventing the transmission of agents that cause STDs , because of pores in the material . This is based on the idea that intestines , by their nature , are porous , permeable membranes , and while sperm are too large to pass through the pores , viruses — such as HIV , herpes , and genital warts — are small enough to pass through . However , there are to date no clinical data confirming or denying this theory . Some believe that lambskin condoms provide a more " natural " sensation , and they lack the allergens that are inherent to latex , but because of their lesser protection against infection , other hypoallergenic materials such as polyurethane are recommended for latex @-@ allergic users and / or partners . Lambskin condoms are also significantly more expensive than other types and as slaughter by @-@ products they are also not vegetarian .
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= = = Spermicide = = =
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Some latex condoms are lubricated at the manufacturer with a small amount of a nonoxynol @-@ 9 , a spermicidal chemical . According to Consumer Reports , condoms lubricated with spermicide have no additional benefit in preventing pregnancy , have a shorter shelf life , and may cause urinary @-@ tract infections in women . In contrast , application of separately packaged spermicide is believed to increase the contraceptive efficacy of condoms .
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Nonoxynol @-@ 9 was once believed to offer additional protection against STDs ( including HIV ) but recent studies have shown that , with frequent use , nonoxynol @-@ 9 may increase the risk of HIV transmission . The World Health Organization says that spermicidally lubricated condoms should no longer be promoted . However , it recommends using a nonoxynol @-@ 9 lubricated condom over no condom at all . As of 2005 , nine condom manufacturers have stopped manufacturing condoms with nonoxynol @-@ 9 and Planned Parenthood has discontinued the distribution of condoms so lubricated .
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= = = Ribbed and studded = = =
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Textured condoms include studded and ribbed condoms which can provide extra sensations to both partners . The studs or ribs can be located on the inside , outside , or both ; alternatively , they are located in specific sections to provide directed stimulation to either the g @-@ spot or frenulum . Many textured condoms which advertise " mutual pleasure " also are bulb @-@ shaped at the top , to provide extra stimulation to the penis . Some women experience irritation during vaginal intercourse with studded condoms .
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= = = Youth condoms = = =
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In March 2010 , the Swiss government announced that it was planning to promote smaller condoms intended for boys and youths of 12 – 14 years old following concern about the pregnancy rate among adolescent girls , and also about the potential spread of AIDS among this age group . This was due to the fact that standard condoms were too wide and consequently failed to afford protection to adolescent boys during vaginal and anal intercourse . Family planning groups and the Swiss AIDS Federation had campaigned to have a narrower condom produced for youths after a number of studies , including a government study researched at the Centre for Development and Personality Psychology at Basel University , found that standard condoms were unsuitable for boys in this age range , and that the condoms either failed during use or that the boys rejected them altogether because they were too wide , and consequently they used no protection at all .
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As a result of these studies , a condom aimed at 12- to 14 @-@ year @-@ old boys is now produced and is available in Switzerland and in certain other countries . Manufactured by Ceylor , the " Hotshot " is a lubricated , teat @-@ ended latex condom which is narrower than a standard condom and has a tight band at the opening to ensure that it remains on the youth 's penis during intercourse . A standard condom has a diameter of 2 inches ( 5 @.@ 2 cm ) whereas the Hotshot has a diameter of 1 @.@ 7 inches ( 4 @.@ 5 cm ) . Both are the same length – 7 @.@ 4 inches ( 19 cm ) . In 2014 , in response to demand for condoms from a younger age @-@ group , German condom manufacturer Amor started producing another condom aimed at young people . Known as " Amor Young Love " , these lubricated condoms have a diameter of 1 @.@ 9 inches ( 4 @.@ 9 cm ) .
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= = = Other = = =
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The anti @-@ rape condom is another variation designed to be worn by women . It is designed to cause pain to the attacker , hopefully allowing the victim a chance to escape .
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A collection condom is used to collect semen for fertility treatments or sperm analysis . These condoms are designed to maximize sperm life .
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Some condom @-@ like devices are intended for entertainment only , such as glow @-@ in @-@ the dark condoms . These novelty condoms may not provide protection against pregnancy and STDs .
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= = Prevalence = =
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The prevalence of condom use varies greatly between countries . Most surveys of contraceptive use are among married women , or women in informal unions . Japan has the highest rate of condom usage in the world : in that country , condoms account for almost 80 % of contraceptive use by married women . On average , in developed countries , condoms are the most popular method of birth control : 28 % of married contraceptive users rely on condoms . In the average less @-@ developed country , condoms are less common : only 6 – 8 % of married contraceptive users choose condoms .
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= = History = =
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= = = Before the 19th century = = =
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Whether condoms were used in ancient civilizations is debated by archaeologists and historians . In ancient Egypt , Greece , and Rome , pregnancy prevention was generally seen as a woman 's responsibility , and the only well documented contraception methods were female @-@ controlled devices . In Asia before the 15th century , some use of glans condoms ( devices covering only the head of the penis ) is recorded . Condoms seem to have been used for contraception , and to have been known only by members of the upper classes . In China , glans condoms may have been made of oiled silk paper , or of lamb intestines . In Japan , they were made of tortoise shell or animal horn .
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In 16th century Italy , Gabriele Falloppio wrote a treatise on syphilis . The earliest documented strain of syphilis , first appearing in Europe in a 1490s outbreak , caused severe symptoms and often death within a few months of contracting the disease . Falloppio 's treatise is the earliest uncontested description of condom use : it describes linen sheaths soaked in a chemical solution and allowed to dry before use . The cloths he described were sized to cover the glans of the penis , and were held on with a ribbon . Falloppio claimed that an experimental trial of the linen sheath demonstrated protection against syphilis .
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After this , the use of penis coverings to protect from disease is described in a wide variety of literature throughout Europe . The first indication that these devices were used for birth control , rather than disease prevention , is the 1605 theological publication De iustitia et iure ( On justice and law ) by Catholic theologian Leonardus Lessius , who condemned them as immoral . In 1666 , the English Birth Rate Commission attributed a recent downward fertility rate to use of " condons " , the first documented use of that word ( or any similar spelling ) .
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In addition to linen , condoms during the Renaissance were made out of intestines and bladder . In the late 16th century , Dutch traders introduced condoms made from " fine leather " to Japan . Unlike the horn condoms used previously , these leather condoms covered the entire penis .
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Casanova in the 18th century was one of the first reported using " assurance caps " to prevent impregnating his mistresses .
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From at least the 18th century , condom use was opposed in some legal , religious , and medical circles for essentially the same reasons that are given today : condoms reduce the likelihood of pregnancy , which some thought immoral or undesirable for the nation ; they do not provide full protection against sexually transmitted infections , while belief in their protective powers was thought to encourage sexual promiscuity ; and , they are not used consistently due to inconvenience , expense , or loss of sensation .
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Despite some opposition , the condom market grew rapidly . In the 18th century , condoms were available in a variety of qualities and sizes , made from either linen treated with chemicals , or " skin " ( bladder or intestine softened by treatment with sulfur and lye ) . They were sold at pubs , barbershops , chemist shops , open @-@ air markets , and at the theater throughout Europe and Russia . They later spread to America , although in every place there were generally used only by the middle and upper classes , due to both expense and lack of sex education .
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= = = 1800 through 1920s = = =
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The early 19th century saw contraceptives promoted to the poorer classes for the first time . Writers on contraception tended to prefer other methods of birth control to the condom . By the late 19th century many feminists expressed distrust of the condom as a contraceptive , as its use was controlled and decided upon by men alone . They advocated instead for methods which were controlled by women , such as diaphragms and spermicidal douches . Other writers cited both the expense of condoms and their unreliability ( they were often riddled with holes , and often fell off or broke ) , but they discussed condoms as a good option for some , and as the only contraceptive that also protected from disease .
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Many countries passed laws impeding the manufacture and promotion of contraceptives . In spite of these restrictions , condoms were promoted by traveling lecturers and in newspaper advertisements , using euphemisms in places where such ads were illegal . Instructions on how to make condoms at home were distributed in the United States and Europe . Despite social and legal opposition , at the end of the 19th century the condom was the Western world 's most popular birth control method .
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Beginning in the second half of the 19th century , American rates of sexually transmitted diseases skyrocketed . Causes cited by historians include effects of the American Civil War , and the ignorance of prevention methods promoted by the Comstock laws . To fight the growing epidemic , sex education classes were introduced to public schools for the first time , teaching about venereal diseases and how they were transmitted . They generally taught that abstinence was the only way to avoid sexually transmitted diseases . Condoms were not promoted for disease prevention because the medical community and moral watchdogs considered STDs to be punishment for sexual misbehavior . The stigma against victims of these diseases was so great that many hospitals refused to treat people who had syphilis .
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The German military was the first to promote condom use among its soldiers , beginning in the later 19th century . Early 20th century experiments by the American military concluded that providing condoms to soldiers significantly lowered rates of sexually transmitted diseases . During World War I , the United States and ( at the beginning of the war only ) Britain were the only countries with soldiers in Europe who did not provide condoms and promote their use .
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In the decades after World War I , there remained social and legal obstacles to condom use throughout the U.S. and Europe . Founder of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud opposed all methods of birth control on the grounds that their failure rates were too high . Freud was especially opposed to the condom because he thought it cut down on sexual pleasure . Some feminists continued to oppose male @-@ controlled contraceptives such as condoms . In 1920 the Church of England 's Lambeth Conference condemned all " unnatural means of conception avoidance " . London 's Bishop Arthur Winnington @-@ Ingram complained of the huge number of condoms discarded in alleyways and parks , especially after weekends and holidays .
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However , European militaries continued to provide condoms to their members for disease protection , even in countries where they were illegal for the general population . Through the 1920s , catchy names and slick packaging became an increasingly important marketing technique for many consumer items , including condoms and cigarettes . Quality testing became more common , involving filling each condom with air followed by one of several methods intended to detect loss of pressure . Worldwide , condom sales doubled in the 1920s .
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= = = Rubber and manufacturing advances = = =
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In 1839 , Charles Goodyear discovered a way of processing natural rubber , which is too stiff when cold and too soft when warm , in such a way as to make it elastic . This proved to have advantages for the manufacture of condoms ; unlike the sheep 's gut condoms , they could stretch and did not tear quickly when used . The rubber vulcanization process was patented by Goodyear in 1844 . The first rubber condom was produced in 1855 . The earliest rubber condoms had a seam and were as thick as a bicycle inner tube . Besides this type , small rubber condoms covering only the glans were often used in England and the United States . There was more risk of losing them and if the rubber ring was too tight , it would constrict the penis . This type of condom was the original " capote " ( French for condom ) , perhaps because of its resemblance to a woman 's bonnet worn at that time , also called a capote .
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For many decades , rubber condoms were manufactured by wrapping strips of raw rubber around penis @-@ shaped molds , then dipping the wrapped molds in a chemical solution to cure the rubber . In 1912 , Polish inventor Julius Fromm developed a new , improved manufacturing technique for condoms : dipping glass molds into a raw rubber solution . Called cement dipping , this method required adding gasoline or benzene to the rubber to make it liquid . Latex , rubber suspended in water , was invented in 1920 . Latex condoms required less labor to produce than cement @-@ dipped rubber condoms , which had to be smoothed by rubbing and trimming . The use of water to suspend the rubber instead of gasoline and benzene eliminated the fire hazard previously associated with all condom factories . Latex condoms also performed better for the consumer : they were stronger and thinner than rubber condoms , and had a shelf life of five years ( compared to three months for rubber ) .
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Until the twenties , all condoms were individually hand @-@ dipped by semi @-@ skilled workers . Throughout the decade of the 1920s , advances in the automation of the condom assembly line were made . The first fully automated line was patented in 1930 . Major condom manufacturers bought or leased conveyor systems , and small manufacturers were driven out of business . The skin condom , now significantly more expensive than the latex variety , became restricted to a niche high @-@ end market .
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= = = 1930 to present = = =
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In 1930 the Anglican Church 's Lambeth Conference sanctioned the use of birth control by married couples . In 1931 the Federal Council of Churches in the U.S. issued a similar statement . The Roman Catholic Church responded by issuing the encyclical Casti connubii affirming its opposition to all contraceptives , a stance it has never reversed .
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In the 1930s , legal restrictions on condoms began to be relaxed . But during this period Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany increased restrictions on condoms ( limited sales as disease preventatives were still allowed ) . During the Depression , condom lines by Schmid gained in popularity . Schmid still used the cement @-@ dipping method of manufacture which had two advantages over the latex variety . Firstly , cement @-@ dipped condoms could be safely used with oil @-@ based lubricants . Secondly , while less comfortable , these older @-@ style rubber condoms could be reused and so were more economical , a valued feature in hard times . More attention was brought to quality issues in the 1930s , and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration began to regulate the quality of condoms sold in the United States .
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Throughout World War II , condoms were not only distributed to male U.S. military members , but also heavily promoted with films , posters , and lectures . European and Asian militaries on both sides of the conflict also provided condoms to their troops throughout the war , even Germany which outlawed all civilian use of condoms in 1941 . In part because condoms were readily available , soldiers found a number of non @-@ sexual uses for the devices , many of which continue to this day .
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After the war , condom sales continued to grow . From 1955 – 1965 , 42 % of Americans of reproductive age relied on condoms for birth control . In Britain from 1950 – 1960 , 60 % of married couples used condoms . The birth control pill became the world 's most popular method of birth control in the years after its 1960 début , but condoms remained a strong second . The U.S. Agency for International Development pushed condom use in developing countries to help solve the " world population crises " : by 1970 hundreds of millions of condoms were being used each year in India alone . ( This number has grown in recent decades : in 2004 , the government of India purchased 1 @.@ 9 billion condoms for distribution at family planning clinics . )
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