Acceptability evaluation of a natural rubber latex, a polyurethane, and a new non-latex condom

After more than a century of reliance on latex condoms, male condoms fabric ated from new materials are finally becoming commercially available to cons umers. This study was an ol,cn label acceptability study that compared thre e lubricated condom products during vaginal intercourse: a natural rubber l atex condom, a polyurethane condom, and a new non-latex (styrene ethylene b utylene styrene, SEBS) condom. Fifty-four couples who were using condoms fo r birth control were Enrolled in this three-way crossover study. Each coupl e tested three condoms of each type in a randomized sequence. Couples repor ted condom performance after each use and rated condom acceptability after use of three condoms of each type At the completion of the study, participa nts selected their preferred condom type for overall acceptability, sensiti vity, case of use, appearance, and comfort. All three condom types had low clinical breakage and slippage rates (less than or equal to 3.3%) although the polyurethane condom did not perform as well in other measures of perfor mance including unrolling, discomfort, stretching, bunching, and sliding al ong the penis during intercourse. None of the condom types were statistical ly preferred overall [males: natural rubber latex 37%, poly-urethane 24%, n ew non-latex (SEBS) 37%, no preference 2%; females: natural rubber latex 33 %, polyurethane 27%, new non-latex 37%, no preference 2%]. A statistically higher proportion of couples preferred both the natural rubber latex condom and the new non-latex condom above the polyurethane condom for case of unr olling, and the natural rubber latex condom above the other condom types fo r perceived safety. Approximately two-thirds of both male and female partic ipants preferred one of the two condoms made of synthetic materials suggest ing that consumers will appreciate the availability of these products. CONT RACEPTION 2000; 61:369-377 (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserv ed.