What does it mean when the statistics say that condoms are, at best, 98% effective.
It sounds like 1/50 times a condom is used, it won’t prevent pregnancy. But this doesn’t seem right because those stats wouldn’t be worth the risk.
In: 1235
50 couples using a new condom every time as their sole contraception, after 1 year, one of those couples will get pregnant.
It’s not 2% after using a single condom. It’s 2% after a year of using a new condom every time that they have sex.
Edit: clarified so people stop making the same comment about using the same condom for a year.
The statistic means that if a couple use condoms for a year, there is a 2% chance of pregnancy during the year
2% is thr people who break the condom
🙂
Just to add, the 98% is with “perfect use”. More “typical use” effectiveness is anywhere from 80-85% effective.
Not great.
Effectiveness statistics are not per use. In the 95% statistic given, this means that five couples out of one hundred will have a pregnancy during a year even if they use condoms perfectly.
Sorry, but what risk do you perceive to be associated with condom use?
After seeing how some people wore masks during covid I am surprised the effectiveness is not much much lower.
If they said 100% then people will chase the manufacturer for every pregnancy that happens when they were “using a condom” it’s much easier for them to say 98% to account for people using them wrong, condoms breaking, the occasional defective one etc…
I had a vasectomy a few years back and I’m technically 98% infertile even though my pipes are totally severed
I’ve experienced condoms breaking several times. We we’re on the pill, so t’was all good, but still freaky.
So to all my bros out there: Find one that fits! Too small or too big, doesn’t matter, both is bad
I had a room-mate once. She was really cool, did tech for theatre productions and indie bands. We were close and she confided a lot to me (and me to her.)
I’m not judging here, but she, in her 20’s, had three abortions. To me, she admitted that sometimes she wants sex without a condom. To her doctor, when she needed an abortion, she said that “We used condoms, it must have failed.”
Again, I’m not judging, and we all have a right to our bodies. That said, she’s one of the 2% failure rate of condoms.
To the statisticians out there, failure rate is always self-reported. Take that as you will.
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