Condom failure among homosexual men.

Following a postal questionnaire survey of 262 homosexual men carried out to investigate condom use during sexual activity, a sample of 97 men who used condoms during anogenital sex was identified. Thirty-one percent of those who had used a condom during anal intercourse reported at least one incident of condom breakage. When looked at in terms of frequency of individual condom use, it was found that 1 in 27 condoms break during this activity. Examination of the reasons for breakage and a review of the literature indicated that physical stress on the condom is likely to be a major factor in these incidents.