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Cover Up!

Are Condoms for You?

By Shel Franco

For Wendy Walton of Stayton, Ore., it wasn't the latex that caused problems. It was the spermicidal lubricant. "We don't use condoms with the super spermicide, only because it irritates me," she says.

Some people do find it awkward and inconvenient to stop sexual activity in order to open a condom and slide one on. But once you know what you're doing, putting the condom on can be part of the fun.

Walton and her husband don't seem bothered in the least bit. "We both know how to use [condoms] properly, and it's never interfered with our intimacy. It's just part of it – like kissing or anything else," she says.

Splitting or breaking is another concern for condom users. Planned Parenthood assures that only a small percentage of condoms break, and those that do break are usually the result of being put on incorrectly.

"We've been married eight years and have never seen his condom break or tear," says Vesslov.

Condoms are serious birth control for anyone concerned with preventing pregnancy and maintaining reproductive health – happily married adults included. And just think: You no longer have to hide your face in the condom isle of the local super market. With the shopping cart filled with this week's dinner menu and the kids tugging at your shirt, you are certainly grown up enough to be there.

Want to see more?

• Popping the Pill
• Deciding on Diaphragms
• Cover Up! Are Condoms For You?
• The Inside Scoop on IUDs
• The Facts on Foam
• The Results are In! What is Your Preferred Method of Birth Control?