For Young Adults, Condoms Are a Big 'Uh, No'

It's hard to miss the overflowing bowl of condoms at the entrance of the gym. Some University of Mississippi students walking past after their workout snicker and point, and the few who step forward to consider grabbing a condom rethink it when their friends catch up, laughter trailing behind them. Almost no one actually reaches in to take one. The disinterest is indicative of changing attitudes. Fewer young people are having sex, but the teens and young adults who are sexually active aren't using condoms as regularly, if at all, per the AP. And people ages 15 to 24 made up half of new chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis cases in 2022.

• Factors: The downward trend in condom usage is due to a few things: medical advancements like long-term birth control options and drugs that prevent sexually transmitted infections; a fading fear of contracting HIV; and widely varying degrees of sex education in high schools.

• Attitudes: "Using a condom is just a big 'Uh, no,'" one senior at the school said. Young women often have to initiate using condoms with men, she noted, adding that she's heard of men who tell a sexual partner they'll just buy emergency contraception the next day instead. Women have long had the onus of preventing pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections, said Dr. Joseph Cherabie of the St. Louis STI/HIV Prevention Training Center. He adds that buying condoms or emergency contraceptives—which are often in a locked cabinet or behind a counter—can be an uncomfortable experience and "inserts a certain amount of shame."
• Other options: Advances in medicine have expanded the options for both STI and pregnancy prevention. Young cisgender women have been turning to contraceptive implants like intrauterine devices and birth control pills to keep from getting pregnant. And researchers say that once women are in committed relationships or have one sexual partner for a significant amount of time, they often switch to longer-term birth control methods. Meanwhile, a new drug on the market called doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis, or doxy PEP, can be taken within 72 hours after unprotected sex and can help prevent chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. It has to be prescribed by a doctor.
• Pro-condom: The CDC acknowledges that condoms are still an effective tool that can be used "alongside newer prevention strategies." "We know that condom use has declined among some groups, but they still have an important role to play in STI prevention," said Dr. Bradley Stoner, director of the CDC's Division of STD Prevention. "Condoms can be accessed without navigating the health care system, can be used on demand, are generally affordable, and most importantly, they are effective at preventing HIV and STIs when used consistently and correctly."
• So ... the end of condoms? Not exactly. But the trend does have some public health experts thinking about how to help younger generations have safe sex, be aware of their options—condoms included—and get tested for STIs regularly. "Old condom ads were meant to scare you, and all of us were scared for the longest time," said Cherabie. "Now we're trying to move away from that and focus more on what works for you." More here.

(More condoms stories.)