Though not universally endorsed, between six and nine billion condoms are put into use to protect against disease and unwanted pregnancy each year, a practice which dates back roughly to 1000 BC, when condoms were first devised of oiled silk paper, linen sheaths, leather, or a slender hollow horn.
Cave paintings that appeared around 200 AD mark the earliest visual record of the wrappers, but a more modern linen sheath didn’t appear until the 1500s, when Italian doctor Gabrielle Fallopius first suggested it be used to protect against syphilis.
The 1640s turned out condoms made from sheep guts in Condom, France – a device thought to be a possible precursor to the lambskin condom. Strangely enough, though, the word “condom” isn’t believed to have come about until about twenty years later when a Dr. Condom bestowed wrappers made of oiled sheep intestine upon Charles II. It is also thought that the word may have been derived from the Latin condus, meaning vessel.
The mid-nineteenth century saw the invention of the rubber condom, which was washed after each use until it actually crumbled. When latex became a typical condom component in 1912, the modern day single-use vessel was born. It was around this time that Ansell, the manufacturer of Mates® condoms commenced production.
During World War II the things were massed produced so that troops all over the globe might enjoy their benefits.
This latex protector was made much more pleasurable during the fifties, when condoms became thinner, tighter-fitting and lubricated. The familiar reservoir tip for collecting semen also came into play around this time to further prohibit unwanted pregnancy.
When HIV emerged as major health threat during the eighties, condoms stopped being taboo and began to be seen in print and television ads, as experts suggested they were the best preventer of the virus outside of abstinence.
In 2006 condom sales spiked to nine billion, globally speaking. As many people have developed allergies to latex, condoms made of polyurethane were put onto the market as an alternative.
In 2008 the FDA approved polyisoprene (also known as Sensoprene) condoms for the prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Mates® Skyn™ condoms are leading the new breed of these non-latex condoms. According to the makers this unique engineering of Sensoprene forms crosslinks that allow the material to stretch more and return to the original shape after being stretched. This leads to a softer yet stronger material less prone to breakage and enhanced sensitivity.
NB: No method of contraception guarantees 100% protection
