lambskin... made from an actual lamb's skin??
[Edited 3/8/08 2:49am]

LittleSmedley said

Yes. Sort of. There are condoms that are made from lamb skin and others which are made of intestinal matter which has been cleaned and chemically treated to be stored in condom packets and not decompose. They most resemble actual skin and give the most sensation, but because they are from organic material which is porous, they don't protect people from potential STD's like regular condoms.

I didn't realize that so many people thought that condoms were such a pain in the ass. I thought that the alternative, like getting syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, HIV, or that unexpected visitor which will consume the next 18 to 20 years of your life was worse than the momentary inconvenience of wearing a condom.

728huey said:

me, too. i'm amazed at how many women just assume that any man they're with is going to be "clean" and therefore they don't need to wear a condom. So many sexually transmitted diseases show very little or no symptoms in men, especially if they are recently infected, but they can still pass on the disease. Sexual ignorance is a frightening thing.

Condoms make alot of money for corrupt individuals


sex with a condom is shit unfortunately. However getting someone pregnant is far worse.
[Edited 3/8/08 8:45am]

fcukthepolice said:

Dying is REALLY inconvenient too.

728huey said:

Just because folks think condoms are a pain in the ass doesn't mean they don't use them, particularly for all the reasons you listed. But, let's be real, too. Condoms, while effective, are not 100%. I'd much rather trust the person I am sleeping with, meaning we've both gotten tested before, so I don't have the least bit of worry in the back of my mind. If it came down to having sex with a condom than not having sex, I rather not have sex.

JasmineFire said:

And as someone else mentioned earlier, there is NO test available for men with HPV, human papillomovirus, which is probably the most common sexually transmitted disease. And most people don't even know they're infected.

SCNDLS said:

Dying? from what? sex? You mean hiv; that is not a death sentence but of course you have nothing without your health so try to be safe.
[Edited 3/8/08 9:29am]

fcukthepolice said:

Yeah, IMO, pregnancy isn't the WORST thing that could happen from unprotected sex. Dying is. . .

fcukthepolice said:

Are you serious??? Tell that to the millions of people in Africa who cannot afford or have access to AIDS drugs. Besides those drugs don't work for everyone, and there are dozens of strains of HIV many of which are RESISTANT to drug therapies. Cervical cancer, often caused by HPV, also has high mortality rates. So yeah, a lot of people do die from having unprotected sex, even with "trusted" partners.

SCNDLS said:

AIDS isn't necessarily a death sentence if you have money or decent health insurance. However, if you don't have the insurance or funds to pay for the anti-AIDS cocktail drugs, you are really screwed. Plus those drugs don't work forever; they only slow the progression of the disease, and at some point they lose their effectiveness.

As for HPV, it can be contracted through non-sexual means, though it usually is contracted sexually. However, the biggest risk for women is that their male partner may have contracted the virus years ago, and while they may carry the virus without any ill effects whatsoever, they spread it to their partner, who then gets cervical cancer from it.

Stymie said:

I find it interesting that people seem to think that the only two options are use condoms or not use them and get some sort of std or get pregnant.

And once again, condoms do not fully protect you from stds like herpes, so why anyone would even risk sleeping with someone they didn't fully trust or knew for a fact that they were clean - condom or no condom is beyond anything I'll understand.

And especially if they are not trusting someone so they use condoms for intercourse but freely engage in oral sex with no protection. That, right there to me is very stupid.
[Edited 3/8/08 10:33am]

Stymie said:

Yes! I will certainly use one, but I just wish there was a better way. It's not just "a momentary inconvenience." It takes away a huge part of sex.

NDRU said:

I admit that genital penetration is a big part of sex, but what about foreplay? I thought that the whole kissing, cuddling, petting, mutual masturbation, oral sex, etc. contributed a huge part to the whole sexual enjoyment experience. If you're really in tune with your partner, all of that is incredibly pleasurable.

JustErin said:

Well, the other option is abstinence, but I won't even go down that road. As for condom usage, they don't entirely eliminate the risk of getting an STD or getting someone pregnant because they can break during sex. But if you are just beginning a sexual relationship with someone that you aren't absolutely sure that you'll be spending the rest of your life with, then you need that protection to save yourself and your partner. If you've been in a long term sexual relationship with someone and you know that he/she has been monogamous, then you probably are more familiar with that person's (or your) menstrual cycles, so there's a little more latitude about when to wear a condom or not (depending on how anxious you are to start a family).

As for oral sex, there's been a lot of dispute about this, but while most health experts agree that oral sex isn't entirely safe with regard to STD's, some health experts say that saliva has chemicals and enzymes which potentially break up any harmful bacteria or viruses, so the chances of contracting an STD are less than by genital intercourse.

728huey said:

agreed, but intercourse is like the main course to me (and I definitely love soup, salad & dessert ) but have you ever eaten a steak with a condom on your tongue? Sure it fills you up and some of the taste might peek through, but it's just not the same ( I write that as if I have tried! But it seems a good analogy)

I am all for condoms, but I'll be happy when an alternative comes around.
[Edited 3/8/08 11:39am]

Stymie said:

Damn, you ain't playin'!

Okay, some questions for all the "no condom" folks:

Do ALL of you insist that your partners get tested

When does the "test so we can fuck" convo happen (how far into knowing them)

How often are you & your partner getting re-tested Let's face it, people cheat. & if they're fucking you w/o a condom, they may be fucking other mf's without one too. So how often does testing occur? Or do you do it initially & just roll w/ whatever happens??


& I'm not trying to come off judgemental here, I'm genuinely curious as I've never been bold enough to roll w/o one even in long relationships WITH testing

CalhounSq said:

As much as I play and flirt on here, sex is not a big deal at all in my real life. it is pretty damn disappointing actually. If I decide I do want to be with someone, I spend a lot of time talking about sex: what's expected, what he likes, what I like, and most importantly, when are we getting tested. Fucking people I don't give a damn about or don't give a damn about me is out, too. The last guy I was with, I knew for years. My next partner: we will get tested together every six months.

and remember CS, lots of people get married and stop using condoms, too.

728huey said:

The only time I'll use them is at the beginning of a new-ish relationship (which would only be new in the sense that we haven't slept together yet)....but really even then, I'm usually not gonna sleep with someone I am not entirely sure about - and that's my point.

I just don't have sex with randoms. I usually end up hooking up with people I already know quite well.

JustErin said:

Yes, a relationship takes a certain leap of faith, emotionally & physically. And you try not to be stupid about your trust.

Of course it's different for a new relationship or a one night stand. Then you're an idiot to not use one, right?

But life is risky, and sometimes you take chances. You evaluate the risk & the trust you have in your partner, at least that's how I've lived my life.

NDRU said:

I simply do not have one night stands. I personally think they are yucky.

But yes, absolutely...if you don't fully trust someone of course you should try to protect yourself. I just don't know why people would bother fucking someone they don't fully trust. I love sex but I don't need it so bad that I will risk getting something from someone just to get some.

Stymie said:

Well hell, I expect to stop using them once I get married too! I don't know who's married here & who's not, but I'm looking @ it from a more casual relationship/dating perspective. I just expect folks to relax once they walk they ass down the aisle (not that nobody cheats when they're married, but you know)

JustErin said:

It's good someone finally raised the issue, because some people are in relationships and some are just sexually active singles. Totally different perspectives.

In my life, I'm lucky I have someone I trust, and they're more about birth control. And they're definitely my least favorite form.

But out in the dating world, they're great because it's one less worry when you're hooking up w/strangers Now all you have to worry about is if they're psychopaths, not what diseases they might carry.

NDRU said:

Ya, but I am in that singles group. I am not in a relationship - I am in something casual. It's just with someone I know very, very well. You can date without making random hook ups.

JustErin said:

I might argue that you are in a relationship, but...

NDRU said:

Yes, you're right. It is kind of a relationship, a non-conventional, one I suppose.

I prefer to use them.

I use them during dating scenarios, as well as during LTRs. In my long term committed relationships I generally use them to prevent pregnancy. In dating scenarios, I'm pretty picky about who I sleep with, but I can't account for who a person may have slept with in the past and that other partner's habits, so I want to be proactive in protecting my Kimcheechee.

You know, recently I had a childhood friend reveal to me some sorrid detils of her sexual history. She's a very glamourous, beautiful funny woman, whom one would never suspect has no many physical/sexual issues. But the reality is that she has had every STD out there short of AIDS. Herpes, Gonorrhea, ALL of it. She has freely admitted to me that every time a man sleeps with her, it's the proverbial equivilent to putting his dick on a crap table. She takes care to protect men that she falls in love with, but is also very capable of subjecting them to infectious sex if they piss her off simply out of anger or revenge. I'm sure some of the men she's dated are probably nice fellows...but I would hate to be the person sleeping with them years later, either of us not knowing that they had been subjected to some twisted revenge fuck from a black widow in their past that exposed them to all manner of things

Nah...I stick with condoms even in dating situations...

DexMSR said:

No sense in beating around the bush as long you keep it safe & protected. Keep banging.

Necessary componet in this day and age if one is not involved in an commited/exclusive relationship . No sense in playing Russian Roullette.
[Edited 3/8/08 20:08pm]

blackguitaristz said:

CalhounSq said:

I KNOW that's right.

I have that conversation very early, especially if it's someone I think there's relationship potential. And I do expect to see a test if we're going to be having sex on the regular. In the last long term relationship I was in, we got tested annually but we RARELY did it without a condom cuz I'm not on the pill and was/am not trynta get pregnant.

It would be really nice (naive) to believe that just because someone says you are in a committed relationship or EVEN married that would mean both parties are being monogamous. I personally know THREE women who contracted AIDS from their husbands of more than ten years. And this is becoming more and more common, especially in the black community.

I'm not saying that I would expect a husband and wife to use a condom but this is just an example that just cuz you think you can trust your partner does not mean they are not fucking around and exposing you, as a woman, to diseases.

Also, again there's NO male test for HPV which is the primary cause of cervical cancer. I wonder how many men who ARE being faithful unwittingly gave HPV to their partner or wife and she ended up with cancer as a result????

In a nutshell, I guess I'll have to say "Fuck trusting someone else where my own health and safety is at risk." As long as the following statement is true, sex without a condom ain't even up for discussion.


[Edited 3/9/08 9:10am]