When it comes to condoms, it's a spiel most of us are all too familiar with. Our parents, teachers and the media have preached to us about how important it is to use them to avoid contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and/or falling pregnant. The question is: how would you react if you knew that condoms had an additional health benefit?
There are people who decide against using condoms for personal reasons and that choice is their right. It is understandable why some avoid them when statistics such as those by report that condoms have a 15% failure rate. However, according to the same website, the condom is still being used by 85% of sexually active couples to prevent unwanted pregnancies and STIs.
It has been found that condoms keep women healthy. A recent study by the Beijing Friendship Hospital in China set out to determine the connection between non-hormonal contraception methods, such as using a condom or the rhythm method (when couples abstain from sex when pregnancy is most likely to happen based on the woman's menstrual cycle), and hormonal contraception methods such as the pill and the intrauterine device (IUD) on women's vaginal reproductive health. This study was conducted in China because of the country's high percentage of women using contraceptives due to the one-child policy that was adopted by the country in 1979. In the study, there were 164 married and/or sexually active women between the ages of 18 and 45. Of the 164, 72 women used condoms, 57 used IUDs and the remaining 35 used the rhythm method. After dividing the participants into those three categories of contraceptive use, researchers waited until the women were on the 21st or 22nd day of their menstrual cycle and then collected vaginal swabs for testing.
I'm still siting here going trying to wrap my head around Vagina PH levels but condoms equal good is the just.
Nothing wrong with using multiple methods, it can only help to use condoms above personal methods. As mentioned it can lower the risk of transmitting STIs.