The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have conducted a study into contraception use in the United States and found some interesting findings. Namely that only a third of men are bothering to actually use condoms when they have sex. This is perhaps surprising as condoms are apparently the most popular kind of contraception on the other side of the Atlantic. Though the use of condoms could be better, those behind the CDC study are understandably delighted that there has been a rise in the use of condoms amongst men in the last 15 years. Despite this, the study also highlights an increase in sexually transmitted infections, which could be deemed at odds with the fact more men are using condoms in the U.S. since 2002, but the report explains a possible factor why. Some respondents in the study shockingly claimed they only used the condom for some of the time they were engaging in sexual activities. This is quite baffling and would invoke questions such as why bother to use one in the first place? Taking off the condom midway through the act for instance would still leave a risk of an unwanted pregnancy or the risk of contracting any number of different STIs such as chlamydia, gonorrhoea, genital herpes, and more. Others participating in the study noted that their condom had “fallen off”. For their findings, the CDC looked at a sample of men and women from 2011 to 2015 who were aged 15 to 44. They wanted to determine if gender, race, ace and education played any part in the use of condoms. When the 20,621 people were quizzed, just 23.8% of women and 33.7% of men claimed to have used a condom during their last sexual encounter. For men, this represented an increase compared to past data, though for women, the number had dropped. Study authors say this could be down the rising use of other types of contraception, such as the contraceptive pill, an implant, the coil, and more. Casey E. Copen, the lead author of the study said: “The main thing that was found was an increase in condom use among men. This is a positive step towards reducing STI's.” “There is still work to be done,” Copen added, acknowledging the rise of STIs. The report is actually the first to question women about their issues faced when using condoms, with plenty complaining how the condom had broken or simply fell off, whilst some admitted to only using it for part of the duration of sex, and even removing it prior to ejaculation. Worryingly, nearly a third of women - 29.6% - in the previous 4 weeks of the survey had experienced a problem with a condom. It was found that 6.5% claimed it had fallen off, whilst 25.8% only used the condom for some of the sexual activity. Copen warned “Condoms are only effective when used efficiently and effectively”. Interestingly, 15 to 19 were found more likely to use condoms than those aged 33 to 44. Just 15.7% of females and 6.7% of males aged 15 to 19 neglected to use a condom for the previous 12 months. In stark contrast, a whopping 74.9% of women and 70.9% of men aged 33 to 44 had not used a single condom for the previous year. However, this may be down to more people in that age bracket being in long-term faithful relationships, or actually trying to conceive. Other findings were the fact that Hispanic and African American were more likely to use condoms than white males and females, with this being linked to the differing access to varying types of contraception. The study also revealed that as a person’s education level increased, there was a higher chance they would be using condoms during sex. Although other methods of contraception may protect against an unwanted pregnancy, condoms are a barrier method of contraceptive and are vital as they can provide protection against contracting STIs in addition to the aforementioned.