[Question #2108] Counterfeit condom

89 months ago

Please help, after having protected sex with a csw, i realized the condom might be counterfeit. Lifestyle condoms say they dont make green condoms with no reservoir tip. The condom didnt break but im afraid it didnt proctect. It shouldnt be lambskin but what else could it be? I didnt see traces of semen seeping through the condom but im not sure if anything got inside the condom during penetration. Please help. Am i at risk?

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

89 months ago

Cheaply made or "counterfeit" condoms probably are more likely to rupture, but if the condom remains intact, protection is complete. In any case, looking at your other thread, your test results prove you were not infected. Why are you still worried?

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89 months ago

Im worried because i just realized the condom was counterfeit. Lifestyle confirmed they dont make the ones i used. Is it enough that i checked for holes and breakage because i was extra careful. What happens if the condom made had defective holes that i wasnt able to notice? News articles reported fake condoms having holes with unsafe material.i thought i was fine but now this.

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

89 months ago

Did you read my reply above? If so, what exactly did you not understand about it? Your test results prove you were not infected. So it does not matter whether or not the exposure was risky. So I ask again:

There is no such thing as invisible holes in condoms that allow infection with HIV or any other STD. It's an urban myth. If it did not break wide open, you were protected. Please don't ask again.

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89 months ago

I dont mean to annoy but i confirmed the condom was a knock off, isnt the real concern the material of the condom, which most likely is from a shady manufacturer in china since its not made by lifestyle. Can you please reaffirm that the condom worked?

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

89 months ago

Re-read my comments above. I don't see how I can say it any more clearly than I did. Even the cheapest "knock off" condoms protect against any and all STDs unless they break wide open. No bacteria or viruses can pass through intact latex.

That completes the two follow-up comments and replies included with each question, and so concludes this thread.

Please note the forum does not permit repeated questions on the same topic or exposure. This will have to be your last one; future new questions about this exposure, condoms, and your fears about HIV, herpes, or other STDs will be deleted without reply and without refund of the posting fee. This policy is based on compassion, not criticism, and is designed to reduce temptations to keep paying for questions with obvious answers. In addition, experience shows that continued answers tend to prolong users' anxieties. Finally, such questions have little educational value for other users, one of the forum's main purposes. I trust you will understand.

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