According to the findings of a new study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, it doesn’t matter if condoms and/or lubricant are used – sex is still enjoyable regardless! Dr Debby Herbenick, from the School of Public Health-Bloomington, Indiana University, led the nationally representative ‘probability’ study of men and women in the U.S. Dr Herbenick comments: “This may be because men are more likely than women to purchase condoms and to apply condoms. However, it’s important for more women to become familiar with the condoms they use with their partner so that they can make choices that enhance the safety and pleasure of their sexual experiences.” Therefore, this could hopefully banish one of the feeble reasons for a lack of condom use and subsequently resulting in a risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or an unwanted pregnancy. Some partners – often those in committed long-term relationships- refrain from using condoms. Maybe it could be that the male is relying on his partner to take her birth control pill, there may be some degree of embarrassment involved in actually purchasing them to begin with, or even an assumption on either partner that the use of a condom will detract from the enjoyment/arousal involved in the whole process of foreplay and sex. However, it would appear that both condoms and lubricants used during ‘safe sex’ do not take anything away from sex and it seems that the majority of women are unsure whether or not a condom is lubricated and what type of material the condom is. Data analysed in the study came from the 2009 National Survey of Sexual Health and Behaviour, which involved an online questionnaire aimed to deduce the habits of 18-59 year olds in regards to sex, condom and lubricant use. The researchers when looking at the data, specifically wanted to know characteristics of condom and lubricant use during the study participants' most recent sexual event as well as any affiliation between their condom and lubricant use to their judgement of ‘sexual quality’. It was found that over twice as many women were unable to tell if the condom was lubricated (26.6% vs. 11.4%) or from what material it was made from (23.6% vs. 8.9%). The American study also found that in general, men did not find it difficult to maintain their erections with both condom and lubricant usage. Dr. Herbenick spoke on the seriousness of promoting sexual health, the danger of sexually transmitted infections such chlamydia and gonorrhoea, saying: “The U.S. continues to grapple with high rates of sexually transmitted infections, HIV, and unintended pregnancies. We need to understand how people make choices about the products they use (or avoid using) and how these products contribute to the safety and pleasurable aspects of their sexual experiences. This is particularly important as the products themselves evolve and become more mainstream in American society. We also need to understand what men and women know, or don't know, about the products they use so that we can better target public health education messages to individuals and groups.” Of course the threat of STIs is rife throughout the world and is not an issue that is restricted to the United States. However through using condoms in the correct manner, the threat of contracting one can be minimised. At Medical Specialists Pharmacy we believe that more needs to be done by the government to educate people of all ages about how serious they are, in addition to debunking the myths about STIs. Due to the recent news that millions of counterfeit/ineffective condoms have been found in the UK,  it must be stressed that male and female contraception should only be purchased from a highly reputable source such as Medical Specialists Pharmacy. Every medication or product dispatched to our patients is 100% genuine and their health and well-being is the primary core of our business practice. We have a wide range of both Durex and Skins condoms at great prices from our chemist shop, including a recently added deal offering an incredible 72 Durex Performa condoms for just £60.00!