Do thinner condoms give less protection against pregnancy and STDs?
Thinner condoms are equally effective as a protection against both pregnancy and infection by STDs. However they may be more easily damaged by fingernails, teeth, jewelry and other incorrect uses, so extra care should be taken when using a thinner condom. • Are all condoms thoroughly tested before being sold? All brand name condoms are subjected to rigorous quality control tests at every stage of the manufacturing process. In the US, each condom is electronically tested for holes and defects. Samples are taken from each lot and visually examined using a water leak test. In this test the samples are filled with 300 ml of water and suspended for 3 minutes. Samples from each lot are also subjected to an Air Inflation Test. This involves filling the test condoms with air until they reach the bursting point. They typically will hold about 40 liters of air — the equivalent of 9 gallons of water! Other samples are checked for size and thickness, some are tested to destruction for physical st
