Baby Oil & Microscopic Tears in Condoms

[bp73]

First off - this forum is excellent! Thank you to the Doctors who make it available

I recently had a sexual encounter with a woman (who I believe to be extremely promiscuous) and we used baby oil with the condom ---- our intercourse lasted about 10 minutes --- the condom didn't break, but it was clearly thinner than before ---- nonetheless, I've search all over this board and all doctors believe that baby oil does not cause microscopic tears to be created

With that said though, there are quite a few websites that maintain that baby oil does cause microscopic tears on latex condoms ---- are there any tests out there that actually confirm this? Also, I'm attaching a link below to a study that talks about baby oil weakening latex, but not necessarily creating tears

Overall, I need some piece of mind ---- when someone says that baby oil causes tears, are there any studies that reference such a thing?

THANKS SO MUCH!!!

LINK TO STUDY -

http://www.walnet.org/csis/med_research/oilstudy.html

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

If there really are "quite a few websites" that state there is signficant risk through microscopic pores in condoms due to oil-based lubricants, my bet is they are not professionally run or moderated.  There are no data that support such a notion.

From the abstract and quick perusal of the article you cite, it seems to say that oil based lubricants increase the chance of condom rupture, which clearly is true -- but not that infected secretions can leak through microscopic defects as a result of weakening of latex by the oil.  Principles of physical chemistry suggest otherwise.  Even a pore that is hundreds of times larger in diameter than an HIV virus still does not permit easy passage of fluids, an issue related to surface tension and similar principles.  And to my knowledge nobody has ever reported HIV transmission this way, as long as the condom remains outwardly intact.  This forum will continue to reassure people accordingly.  (Of course that doesn't mean we approve the use of oil based lubricants.  They should be avoided.)

Regards-- HHH, MD

[bp73]

Thank you Doctor!

Here are some links to some of the more reputable websites/books that mention microscopic tearing -

Body ******* -

http://www.thebody.com/Forums/AIDS/SafeSex/Archive/PreventionSexual/Q65152.html

Men's Fitness -

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1608/is_/ai_96621171?tag=untagged

Book on Health -

http://books.google.com/books?id=D6ZBqVoEiSYC&pg=PA192&lpg=PA192&dq=%22microscopic+tears%22+condom+oil&source=bl&ots=aHfeB5Z2ZS&sig=leBq5dV3J5hwjvkoRcm75yxXzuw&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=5&ct=result#PPA192,M1

Thank you!

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

It's still speculation, with few if any proved transmissions.  The advice on this forum won't change.  It is the near-universal postion of most HIV prevention experts and agencies.

[bp73]

Awesome - thank you!