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What's the evidence for using two condoms?
Question: What is the evidence that two condoms may be used at once? Who does this? What are their reasons for doing this? What are the other things that can do done to prevent condom breakage? Are there some men and some women who have sexual intercourse in a manner that predisposes them to have repeated condom breaks or repeated condom slippage?
Answer from Robert Hatcher , MD, MPH, professor of gynecology and obstetrics at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta: Typical condom breakage rates range from 0.5% to 6.7%. Falling-off rates range from 0.6% to 5.4%. More recently, attention has focused on condoms that slip down the penis but not completely off, known as partial slippage. 1,2
In Nevada, men going to legal brothels are required to use a condom during every sexual act. Many acts of intercourse are protected by two condoms. Legal prostitutes in Nevada are extraordinarily effective in preventing HIV and other infections. Do they use more than one condom? The answer is often "yes." Many of their acts of intercourse are protected by two condoms.
A 1995 study analyzed condom use among legal prostitutes in Nevada brothels. 1 Here are some of the techniques these women used to prevent breakage: use of additional water-soluble...