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HIV Prevention  (Expert Forum)
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Baby Oil & Microscopic Tears in Condoms
Answered by
University of Washington Seattle - WA
This forum is limited to prevention of HIV and to safe sex in general. All questions will be answered by H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D. or Edward W Hook, MD.

Baby Oil & Microscopic Tears in Condoms

by bp73, Dec 05, 2008 11:55AM
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

by H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D., Dec 05, 2008 01:37PM
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
Member Comments (4)

by bp73, Dec 05, 2008 06:09PM
To: Dr Handsfield
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!

by H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D., Dec 05, 2008 06:34PM
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.

by bp73, Dec 05, 2008 06:47PM
Awesome - thank you!
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