Distinguishing Amongst Condom Types - Latex, Polyurethane, and Lambskin

A condom is a condom is a condom. Or is it? In college when my boyfriend-now-husband and I first started having sex, I will admit that researching condom types was not even on my radar. We were the typical poor college students who would scrounge for change in our cars to get a burrito from Taco Bell; thus, we weren’t exactly buying the BMWs of condoms. When the urge hit, we would pop into the gas station down the street from our apartment, buy whatever cheap brand was shelved behind the clerk and be on our merry way. When the condom would bust in the middle of the act, we just chalked it up to normal condom behavior. Oh, how little we knew in our youth.

Essentially, you have three basic condom types: latex, polyurethane and lambskin. The condom that is championed by most healthcare agencies and that is the most common of the three is the latex condom. These can be found virtually everywhere condoms are sold or distributed. An important point to remember with latex condoms is that water-based lubricants can be used to help with dryness or friction; care should be used, however, to ensure that oil-based lubricants (i.e. Vaseline) are never allowed on the condom because they thin out the latex which could lead to breakage. Several brands of latex condoms also contain the spermicide (Nonoxynol-9) which was once thought to protect the users from contracting HIV. On the contrary, according to “Consumer Reports”, the spermicide addition actually did more harm than good, contributing to some women suffering from urinary-tract infections and vaginal irritation.

Slightly thinner and a tad more expensive than latex condoms are polyurethane condoms. For those who have latex allergies, this is the next best condom option. Polyurethane condoms have some great selling points. They are made of a plastic that is thinner than latex condoms, so some users report they help boost sensitivity during sex. They do not have the tell-tall smell of a latex condom, and users can actually apply oil-based lubrication to these condoms if they wish. One complaint from users of polyurethane condoms is they are prone to slippage more than latex condoms.

The final type of condom, and one of the oldest types, is the lambskin condom. Why are they called lambskins, you might ask? Well, these condoms are actually made from lamb intestines.  Like the polyurethane condoms, lambskins are not as prone to cause allergic-reactions in users. Because of the material used to make them, lambskins allow warmth to be transferred from the wearer to the partner. One major complaint of lambskin condoms is that while they are very effective in preventing unwanted pregnancies, they are not a great line of defense against sexually transmitted diseases.

Two types of condoms that are worth mentioning are both in the experimental phases. One is a gel condom (also known as the Invisible Condom) that begins to stiffen once sex has begun. It then liquefies after a few hours. The next condom is a spray-on condom that stiffens after only a few seconds.