A recent survey of more than 1,000 men in India concluded that condoms made according to international sizes are too large for a majority of Indian men. The uniqueness of the discovery is not that Indian men are having issues with their sizes, but rather the fact that condom manufacturers, never considered that men’s sexual organs actually differ in size.
A recent survey of more than 1,000 men in India concluded that condoms made according to international sizes are too large for a majority of Indian men.
The uniqueness of the discovery is not that Indian men are having issues with their sizes, but rather the fact that condom manufacturers, never considered that men’s sexual organs actually differ in size.
The study found that more than half of the men measured had sexual organs that were shorter than international standards for condoms.
It has led to a call for condoms of mixed sizes to be made more widely available in India, which I also think should be applied here in Africa.
However much African men are considered to be having the biggest male organs compared to other races, it is not all Africans and there are some who fall in the same category as the majority of Indian men and this poses a health risk.
The study which was carried out by the Indian Council of Medical Research, experimented over 1,200 volunteers from the length and breadth of the country, had their organs measured precisely, down to the last millimeter.
The scientists even checked if their sample was representative of India as a whole in terms of class, religion and urban and rural dwellers.
The conclusion of this entire scientific endeavour is that about 60 percent of Indian men have organs which are between three and five centimeters shorter than international standards used in condom manufacturing.
The issue is serious because about one in every five times a condom is used in India, it either falls off or tears, an extremely high failure rate.
And the country already has the highest number of HIV infections of any nation.
Therefore in my conclusion, Africa being the continent with the highest HIV infection rates may also be affected by this though it is yet to be proved. Condom use is not something that Africans are accustomed to or like, and therefore, when there is some discomfort, it becomes irrelevant to the user.
Advertisements and government policies are about encouraging the use of condoms if not abstinence, but never has the debate of condom size been debated.
The Government should borrow a leaf from India which has started manufacturing and selling condoms of different sizes in order to reduce the prevalence rate.
It is a major concern that needs to be addressed by the government and NGOs, that are concerned with fighting the spread of the killer disease and just like the way the government bans the sale of certain condoms, like the recent banning of the sale of ‘HOT’ condoms, then they should at the same time encourage the sale of condoms of different sizes.
It is without a doubt that some men, especially Indians, would feel displeased about not measuring to international standards.
But as they say ‘It’s not size, it’s what you do with it that matters.’ They should therefore go out and buy condoms that suit their sizes.