Condoms 'too big' for Indian men
By Damian Grammaticus
BBC News, Delhi
There is a "lack of awareness" over condom sizes
A survey of more than 1,000 men in India has concluded that condoms made
according to international sizes are too large for a majority of Indian men.
The study found that more than half of the men measured had penises that were
shorter than international standards for condoms. It has led to a call for
condoms of mixed sizes to be made more widely available in India. The
two-year study was carried out by the Indian Council of Medical Research.
Over 1,200 volunteers from the length and breadth of the country had their
penises measured precisely, down to the last millimetre. The scientists even
checked their sample was representative of India as a whole in terms of class,
religion and urban and rural dwellers. It's not size, it's
what you do with it that matters
Sunil Mehra
The conclusion of all this scientific endeavour is that about 60% of Indian men
have penises which are between three and five centimetres shorter than
international standards used in condom manufacture. Doctor Chander Puri, a
specialist in reproductive health at the Indian Council of Medical Research,
told the BBC there was an obvious need in India for custom-made condoms, as
most of those currently on sale are too large. The issue is serious because
about one in every five times a condom is used in India it either falls off or
tears, an extremely high failure rate. And the country already has the
highest number of HIV infections of any nation. 'Not a problem' Mr Puri
said that since Indians would be embarrassed about going to a chemist to ask
for smaller condoms there should be vending machines dispensing different sizes
all around the country. "Smaller condoms are on sale in India. But there is a
lack of awareness that different sizes are available. There is
anxiety talking about the issue. And normally one feels shy to go to a
chemist's shop and ask for a smaller size condom." But Indian men need not be
concerned about measuring up internationally according to Sunil Mehra, the
former editor of the Indian version of the men's magazine Maxim. "It's not
size, it's what you do with it that matters," he said. "From our population,
the evidence is Indians are doing pretty well. "With apologies to the poet
Alexander Pope, you could say, for inches and centimetres, let fools contend."
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