Self-Lubricating Condoms Now Exist And Here’s Why That’s A Good Thing

The new condom is good for 1,000 thrusts, according to research.

Condoms are an excellent product for preventing both pregnancy and the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases during sex. However, of the many reasons cited for people not liking to use condoms, quite often it is the lack of lubrication that leads to a dry sensation that can turn people off from using them. But now, a new self-lubrication condom has been developed to help alleviate this problem and will, hopefully, encourage more people to use the protective device.

“Condom-associated discomfort is a common ‘turn-off’ and a highly cited reason for persuading one’s partner to forgo using condoms, so many individuals choose to use lubricants to decrease this discomfort,” the team associated with the self-lubricating condom wrote.

According to NBC News, a response to a query asked by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in relation to what people didn’t like about condom use led to the development of the self-lubricating condom. A team at Boston University, led by bioengineering professor, Mark Grinstaff, received funding from the Gates Foundation after they developed a compound that adheres to condoms. By the addition of a small amount of fluid — water, or otherwise — the compound becomes slippery and is able to hold this slippery sensation for quite some time.

1,000 back-and-forth cycles, to be precise.

“During sex there is bodily fluid that gets generated. That is sufficient to wet the surface of the condom. It takes very, very little water.”

And, so the self-lubricating condom was born.

Many people who use condoms regularly use a lubricant to help create the desired slippery sensation. However, lubrication does wear off fairly quickly, so the advent of a compound that is good for 1,000 thrusts is certainly a selling point. And, this what the team along with the Gates Foundation are hoping for in an effort to help prevent unwanted pregnancies and the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases.

However, this compound only works with latex condoms at the moment. So, for those that suffer from a latex allergy, the offer of a self-lubricating condom is still a while away yet. However, the team does imply that it is not an impossibility only that it “will take new chemistry to figure out” how to apply this concept to polyurethane condoms.

As yet, there have been no human testing of the self-lubricating condom. However, Hydroglyde Coatings plans to ” start human testing of the new condoms late this year or early next year,” according to Grinstaff.

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