Condom Use

Abstract

A survey of more than 1,600 women in 8 cities across the United States indicates that women who rely on birth control devices to prevent pregnancy are less likely to use condoms to prevent sexually transmitted disease (STD). Among women who rely on condoms for contraception, 22 percent said they did not use them when having sex with a causal partner. Forty-two percent of women who used hormonal contraception neglected to use condoms; 37 percent of those surgically sterilized did not use condoms. The failure to use condoms leaves women vulnerable to HIV and other STDs.