condom, contraceptives, safer-sexThe condom market is dominated by latex condoms. Is this because latex is more effective as a barrier for STDs and sperm than other materials? Or is it for some other reason, e.g. because latex condoms are the most cost-effective to produce?
What is the most effective non-latex material for condoms, and how does it compare to latex?
This depends very much on the material from which the condoms are made - The FDA has quite a bit to say about choosing the right kind of condom (and condom-compatible accoutrements like lubricants).
To summarize, most condoms are an effective barrier against sperm, but not all of them are effective against all diseases. In particular, lambskin condoms (and presumably those made from any other kind of animal skin or membranes) may not be as effective in preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, in particular viruses, which may be small enough to pass through the microscopic pores in the material.
The FDA's site recommends latex condoms, however other materials have also been shown to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted diseases (polyurethane being the most common).
For maximum safety look for a condom with a clear claim that it reduces the risk of transmitting sexually transmitted infections printed on the packaging. These claims are regulated by the FDA and manufacturers are required to test their condoms and provide supporting evidence in order to include it in their packaging/marketing materials.
TL;DR: Use latex when you can, use synthetic when you must. Avoid separate non-water-based lubricants.
Latex condoms are known for their elastic properties, its tensile strength exceeds 30 MPa and may be stretched to 800% before breaking (from Wikipedia which references this PubMed article. There are even standardized ISO requirements and test methods to ensure that every latex condom meets the minimum necessary to be effective. They test latex condoms for holes with an electrical current, only packaging it when it passes. In addition, a portion of each batch of condoms is tested for water leak and air burst.
However, Latex condoms can be affected by certain types of lubricants that affect the latex. Also note that some people are also allergic for Latex and thus can’t use these type of condoms, although synthetic latex condoms exist to work around these issues. An example condom is SKYN, which is known well to be useful for those with allergy; another reason listed by their site is that it goes for better sensitivity. It however does not list anything about the effectiveness.
A comparison between latex and synthetic rubbers been made and listed in a contraception report, if the Wayback Machine allows it you can read about it on this WayBack link. A lot of articles I found suddenly seem to lose their existance, either because the site is rewritten or the site ceased to exist. As the site is currently offline, I can’t tell you the exact results. Although the link is being referred to as that non-Latex condoms are not affected by certain types of lubricants of which Latex condoms are affected.
The same report however tells us that that these condoms can be stretched less and are thus more likely to break. Here is a response that mentions how polyurethane condoms aren’t strectchy, with the caveat that the difference is small if used properly:
Polyurethane is a plastic and stronger than latex, but not quite as stretchy. For that reason, polyurethane condoms are slightly more likely to break or slip. However, this performance difference is small and does not have much of an effect on the condom’s overall efficacy.
— Alice - Do polyurethane condoms protects well against STIs?
Polyisophrene condoms on the other hand, share the quality of latex and non-allergic condoms together.
So, as a conclusion latex gets the preference but you really shouldn’t be worrying. You can however switch to synthetic condoms like SKYN when you really look for the need to have a more natural feeling or when you have an allergic problem. When using latex condoms, watch out with lubricants as they can affect the condom; this is not seen with synthetic condoms. The most important thing is proper use of the condom.
The FDA gives the following buying guide if you want to remain effecient:
Use this handy shopping guide as a reminder of what to look for when buying condoms and lubricants.
Be sure to choose:
[X] Latex
[X] Disease prevention claim on package label
Also consider:
[ ] With lubricant
[ ] Separate lubricant (Select only water-based lubricants made for this purpose.)
— FDA shopping guide, for more summary from that page, check voretaq7’s answer.
Lifestyles SKYN, non-latex condoms have been approved by the FDA to help prevent both Pregnancy and STDs according to this article. My conclusion: if the FDA approved it, I would imagine they're just as good as regular latex condoms at preventing STDs. While they are more expensive, they are also said to be more pleasurable to use than regular, latex condoms. SKYN condoms are made from polyisoprene, a relatively new material. This may also be why they're more expensive. The supply chain and costs of production haven't had time to flatten out like those for latex condoms have.
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