In the U.S., STIs strike an estimated 20 million people each year, or an average of one person every 1.5 seconds, according to the Center for Disease Control. Prevention Abstinence is the best way to prevent the transmission of STIs. If you choose to use a lubricant, use one that is water-based. Never use petroleum jelly, hand cream, or any oil since this weakens the condom. Deni Robey, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood, says the AIDS epidemic has made condoms more widely used.
Condoms only protect the part of the body they cover.
They are particularly good for protecting against the STIs which involve the urinary opening, such as chlamydia and gonorrhea. Condoms are not good for preventing infections which live on the skin or hair near the genitals, such as herpes, crabs, syphilis and warts. These are all highly infectious and can be caught just by touching the skin. They don't always remember to use condoms. In one recent study by the National Center For Health Statistics, about one-half of the sexually experienced teenagers surveyed failed to use a condom the last time they had intercourse.