Chinese Aoni condom breaks World Record for its thinness

The quest for a thin condom usually takes men to the Skins range of condoms or the Durex Ultra Thin Feel condom. Not only are thin condoms typically easier to put on, but they are generally preferred amongst many men due to the increased sensation and pleasure they provide, with a more natural feeling provided for both partners.

And now the mantle of ‘the world’s thinnest condom’ has been taken by a Chinese company and it is so thin and barely there, it has managed to achieve the Guinness World Record for the thinnest latex condom.

Known as the ‘Aoni condom’, it has been found to have a thickness measurement of a mere 0.0014 inches (0.036 millimeters), thinner than the past record set by a condom manufactured by Okamoto of Japan.

The super-thin Aoni condom was devised by the Chinese company Guangzhou Daming United Rubber Products, who are currently producing an estimated 200 million condoms each year.

Although the Aoni condoms are only actually available to buy within Asia, the man who pioneered the project, Victor Chan, is optimistic of getting the condom to a potentially profitable North American market.

Speaking about the challenging process on creating the thin yet durable Aoni condom, Chan says: “It was quite tricky. It took a lot of work to arrange the right mix and fine-tune the ingredients to give us the right performance.”

The next projects for Chan and his colleagues include the development of a vibrating condom that will stimulate the woman’s G-spot as well as a sanitising condom that will be covered in a layer of silver nanoparticles.

It seems to be exciting times for condoms being revolutionised, obviously in the hope ultimately that more couples decide to use them on a consistent basis. Condoms are an absolute necessity for safe sex, being a fantastic method of preventing an unwanted pregnancy and safeguarding against sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia or genital herpes.

In March of last year Medical Specialists reported how Microsoft founder Bill Gates was pledging to give thousands of dollars into the development of ‘next generation’ condoms.

At the time, the The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation released a statement for why this was such an important issue, saying: “The one major drawback to more universal use of male condoms is the lack of perceived incentive for consistent use. The primary drawback from the male perspective is that condoms decrease pleasure as compared to no condom, creating a trade-off that many men find unacceptable. Is it possible to develop a product without this stigma, or better, one that is felt to enhance pleasure? If so, would such a product lead to substantial benefits for global health?”

Two projects have received $100,000 (£66,000) from the foundation for their research.  The first are a group of researchers from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. They are utilising stretchy materials known as superelastomers to produce condoms that are incredibly thin. The second is being carried out by scientists at the University of Manchester in the UK. They are mixing latex with graphene — a type of carbon many call a “super material” — to produce condoms that are thinner, stronger and more elastic.

Online Pharmacy give away 1,000s of condoms in the run up to World AIDS Day

Shocking figures released ahead of World AIDS Day on 1 December reveal that roughly a fifth of those who have HIV in the UK, are unaware they are even carrying the virus.

Public Health England accumulated data from 2012 that shows 21,900 people out of 98,400 with HIV in the UK do not know they have it, with new cases reported in gay mean spiralling to an all-time record of 3,250 during last year.

Gay men account for the majority of people who have HIV, followed by black African men and women. Heterosexuals accounted for approximately 45% of new HIV cases in 2012; 2,880 in total.

Although it appears overall figures have decreased since 2011, the charity Terrence Higgins Trust have called for more action to be done to prevent the virus spreading, beginning with National HIV Testing Week, which runs from 22-29 November leading up to World AIDS Day.

World AIDS Day is an annual event dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection, and has been supported numerous times by Medical Specialists Pharmacy, and this year is no different.

This year Medical Specialists are giving away literally thousands of Skins condoms to all patients who obtain any sexual health products between 22 November and 2 December. Whether this be a clamelle chlamydia test kit, the antibiotic azithromycin for chlamydia and gonorrhoea treatment, or viagra, you will receive plenty of condoms…for free!

“Reducing undiagnosed HIV is now the single most important step we can take to halt the spread of infection in this country,” said the Terrence Higgins Trust’s acting chief executive, Paul Ward.

Mr Ward added: “Some communities are already making headway in this. Among gay men, testing rates are up, diagnoses are up, and as a result undiagnosed infection is coming down. Because of community-wide initiatives like National HIV Testing Week, hundreds more people with HIV now know their status, helping them access life-saving treatments and drastically reducing the chance of them passing the virus on. We’ve come so far, but we have to keep going. We know testing works and treatment works; all we need is the individual commitment and public funding to make it happen. If we can get this, we can turn the tide of the epidemic.”

Many people see ‘HIV’ as an abbreviated disease that they hope they never contract, whilst not actually understanding a lot about what it is, who is at risk, or the dangers of letting the virus go untreated.

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) attacks the immune system; our body’s natural defence mechanism against infections and disease. Health Protection Agency statistics from 2010 showed 95% of UK diagnoses stemmed from sexual contact, typically not wearing a condom during sexual activity is the cause. Sharing infected needles, syringes or other drug paraphernalia are also risk factors for HIV.

After infection, symptoms usually take between two to six weeks to arise and they include the common flu symptoms such as fever, sore throat, tiredness, muscular pain and also you could develop a body rash. If you believe you might be at risk then you should go for a test immediately and do not delay.
Delaying vital critical treatment can be fatal and somebody diagnosed at a late stage is actually nine times more likely to die within twelve months of receiving their diagnosis compared to somebody who gets tested and diagnosed at an early stage.

If HIV is left untreated or insufficiently managed, HIV then develops into AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). At this stage the body is no longer able to fight off life-threatening infections due to the severe damage inflicted to the immune system.

National HIV testing week is a hugely important week and Medical Specialists hope that people shed the stigmas attached to HIV and AIDS, and to get tested immediately if they think they might be at risk. There is never any shame in seeking help for anything, especially when it comes to your health, and it could just save your life.

The bubble bursts for condom counterfeit ring in China

Police in China have broken up a huge counterfeit ring responsible for the production of millions of fake branded condoms including variations of Durex, Contex and Jissbon.

According to reports, underground workshops were found to be operating in central and eastern China and police in Jinjiang, in the Fujian province, are believed to have seized more than 4.6 million fully-packaged fake contraceptives that have a combined worth of around 47.7 million Yuan (£5.1 million). In addition, 1,100 pounds of unpackaged condoms were also found.

The game was up for the counterfeiters in February when a police officer in the Fujian province realised that a store on Taobao.com, China’s biggest online shopping website, were selling suspiciously low-priced condoms considering they were apparently ‘branded’ contraceptives. After purchasing some from the store, tests were conducted on the condoms and unsurprisingly they were found to be counterfeits. The phony condoms being offered on the online store were then tracked to a number of illegal workshops.

Information released by Chinese police officers last week confirmed that 37 suspects from Fujian, Zhejiang and Henan provinces were apprehended following police raids on the workshops that occurred on 29 March.

During one of the raids; a workshop in the countryside of southeast China’s Fujian province, police discovered dozens of workers in a poorly lit room. The workers were busy on a production line applying lubrication to the condoms. The dangerous fake contraceptives were stacked up high ready to be shipped off to the unsuspecting public, and police commented that the cheap oil lubricants used on the condoms left a disgusting odour in the room.

It has emerged that one of the two main figures behind the counterfeit ring is a man surnamed Liu. Allegedly, he began his operation in December of last year, purchasing raw latex from a factory in Hebei – the surrounding providence of the capital, Beijing. Cheap lubricants were then applied and the phony condoms were packed up in bags and boxes that bore the names of well-known brands. According to police, Liu’s workers were producing up to an incredible 20,000 fake condoms each day; each costing 0.17 Yuan (£0.02) to produce and then sold on for 1 Yuan (£0.11).

After interrogation, Liu admitted to police that the condoms produced in his workshops were mainly sold on the internet, and through small vendors, pharmacies, supermarkets and rural sex toy stores.
This comes just a month after Ghana was hit with a ‘major public health issue’ after one million condoms provided to the country’s health service were shockingly discovered to have holes in them and were susceptible to bursting easily. The condoms were from the branded ‘Be Safe’ line, all imported from China.

“When we tested those condoms, we found that they are poor quality, can burst in the course of sexual activity, and have holes which expose the users to unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease,” Thomas Amedzra, head of drug enforcement at the Ghanaian Food and Drug Authority, commented to the Guardian newspaper.

It seems that Chinese police are upping the ante however in their quest to beat the counterfeiters. Just last week, £21 million of counterfeit designer goods were set alight and destroyed in an extravagant public event which they surely hope will show the world they are cracking down on the illegal trade. Everything from counterfeit cigarettes, handbags, cosmetics and even wine, were all thrown onto a fire in Guiyang, southwest China’s Guizhou Province.

Male and female contraception should only be purchased from a highly reputable source such as Medical Specialists Pharmacy. Every medication or product dispatched to our patients is 100% genuine and their health is at the core of our business practice. We have a wide range of both Durex and Skins condoms at great prices from our chemist shop. However, if you suspect you may have used a low-quality fake condom, we offer a Clamelle chlamydia test kit for just £24.85 which can be used in the privacy of your own home to prevent an embarrassing visit to your GP. Or, if you have been diagnosed as having chlamydia or gonorrhoea, the antibiotic Azithromycin can prevent the spread of the bacteria so that your body’s natural defences can fight back and remove the infection from your system.

Bill Gates offers $1.1million for a ‘next generation’ condom

Microsoft founder and multi-billionaire Bill Gates has offered an incredible $1.1million to any person(s) who can devise the ‘next generation’ of condoms which could help to banish some of the stigma attached to both purchasing and wearing one; ultimately leading to more safe sex and less risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

There will be an initial $100,000 (£66,000) grant for whoever can create a better condom than the latex ones commonly used today, with a further million dollar funding to help develop the best creation.

Gates, the world’s second richest man with a fortune of $67billion (£44billion), has offered the generous sum  as part of his ‘The Grand Challenge’ intuitive from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – a Seattle-based revolutionary global charity founded by Bill Gates and his wife that aims to provide funds into research for better treatments for a wide range of deadly diseases such as malaria, HIV and tuberculosis, in addition to tackling the massive problem of hunger and poverty in developing nations.

The foundation released a statement, speaking of their aims behind the quest for a new condom, saying: “Condoms have been in use for about 400 years yet they have undergone very little technological improvement in the past 50 years. Material science and our understanding of neurobiology has undergone revolutionary transformation in the last decade, yet that knowledge has not been applied to improve the product attributes of one of the most ubiquitous and potentially underutilised products on earth.”

It added: “The one major drawback to more universal use of male condoms is the lack of perceived incentive for consistent use. The primary drawback from the male perspective is that condoms decrease pleasure as compared to no condom, creating a trade-off that many men find unacceptable. Is it possible to develop a product without this stigma, or better, one that is felt to enhance pleasure? If so, would such a product lead to substantial benefits for global health?” The foundation stated that they were in particularly seeking a design of condom that “significantly preserves or enhances pleasure, in order to improve uptake and regular use.”

Current annual production of condoms stands at 15 billion, with an estimated 750 million users worldwide. However, there are still many millions of men who are reluctant to buy or use condoms which is perplexing especially when fantastic ranges such as those from Durex or Skins are inexpensive, do not require a prescription, easy to transport around, and offer a highly effective method of protection against unwanted pregnancies and common STIs such as chlamydia, herpes and gonorrhoea.

Millions of fake condoms in circulation across the UK

The government’s health regulator has warned that an ever-increasing number of counterfeit condoms are managing to be smuggled into the United Kingdom.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulation Agency (MHRA) say that in fact millions of bogus, dangerous fake condoms have been illegally imported into Britain in the previous 18 months.

Family planning experts stress than the fake condoms increase the risk of transmission of Sexually Transmitted Infections such as chlamydia, genital herpes, gonorrhoea, as well as failing to properly protect against any unwanted pregnancies. Tests have been conducted on the fakes and an alarmingly high burst rate has been discovered in them.

Danny Lee-Frost, senior investigator at the MHRA, said: “These products are made in the Far East for pennies and then sold over here for pounds. They will cut corners. They will cut costs. They will use cheaper ingredients and materials.”

Mr Lee-Frost advises men to be vigilant and says that the counterfeit condoms are primarily being sold in corner shops, newsagents and market stalls. He continued: “It’s vital that people buy condoms from well-known reputable retailers and pharmacies.”

Only last year, authorities seized roughly £1.5 million worth of counterfeit condoms at Heathrow Airport and that haul was just the latest in many that are happening across the country according to Trading Standards.

Incredibly, in the battle against the millions of fake condoms in circulation, trained sniffer dogs have even been drafted in to detect bogus condoms. Authorities have resorted to such drastic measures after growing concern that the counterfeits are becoming increasingly difficult to spot against the genuine articles.

Paul Maddox is currently training the dogs to sniff out and fake condoms and comments: “I was really surprised when I found out about the problem. I’ve heard about counterfeit medicines but I never thought condoms would ever be an issue. When we’ve trained the dogs up we managed to find a chink in the counterfeiters’ armour and we’ve exploited that. That’s why the dogs have been successful.”

One reporter actually put the fakes to the test and approached two males on the street, 25 year old Jay Dhadwa, and 24 year-old Ricky Dixon, asking them if they could distinguish the genuine condoms from the fakes.

Mr Dhadwa said: “I can’t believe they aren’t the real deal. They look and feel exactly like real ones. They’ve got the expiry date on the back too and the kite mark. It’s impossible to tell.”
Danny Lee-Frost commented: “They certainly look the part. Many people would think it’s the proper article .If you’re not buying it from a reputable source, it’s odds on that it is counterfeit and you shouldn’t go anywhere near it.”

As Mr Lee-Frost states, contraception for both men and women should only be purchased from a highly reputable source such as Medical Specialists Pharmacy. Every medication or product dispatched to our patients is 100% genuine and their health is at the core of our business practice. We have a wide range of both Durex and Skins condoms at great prices from our chemist shop. However, if you suspect you may have used a low-quality fake condom, we offer a Clamelle chlamydia test kit for just £24.85 which can be used in the privacy of your own home to prevent an embarrassing visit to your GP. Or, if you have been confirmed as having this or gonorrhoea, the antibiotic Azithromycin can prevent the spread of the bacteria so that your body’s natural defences can fight back and remove the infection from your system. We also have the medication Valtrex working out as costing just £3.50 per tablet, which works by slowing the spread of the herpes virus.

Male contraceptive pill could be on the horizon with latest breakthrough

A major discovery by Australian researchers could finally bring a male contraceptive pill to fruition and give men more options to equip them and their partners against unwanted pregnancies. Currently condoms such as Durex and Skins for men or the oral contraceptive pill for women, Dianette, are just a few of the choices that are already presently available.

The latest developments follow other research conducted earlier this year by American experts who wanted to push through a male contraceptive pill as they said: “The lack of contraceptive alternatives for men is partially responsible for the high rate of unplanned pregnancies and contributes to the ethical, social and financial costs associated with abortions and deliveries to single mothers.”

Scientists at Monash University in Melbourne say that their findings mean that a pill could be produced that actually kills off the ability of sperm to swim efficiently, living them twiddling their thumbs instead of arriving at their unwanted destination! Furthermore, their findings could also shed some more light on potential factors behind male infertility.

In what seems to be common practice for laboratory tests these days, Lead researcher Professor Moira O’Bryan and her team chose mice to be their subjects for analysis. The team devised a mutation in a gene that is named ‘RABL2’. This gene works at transmitting protein fuel to the engine (known as the axoneme) in a sperm’s tail in mice.

This engineered mutation then led to a reduction in the size of sperm tails by 17% of their ‘normal’ size, and a 50% decrease in the production of sperm.

Most interestingly perhaps was that it was found these particular mice with the mutated gene were left infertile and their sperm were prevented from swimming or moving about anywhere.
Professor O’Bryan says, “They weren’t wriggling or going anywhere, they were just twitching. With this mutation, we get motors that don’t work properly. To be fertile, sperm need motility or swimming ability.”

O’Bryan worked together with fellow scientists from the University of Newcastle, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Garvan Institute of Medical Research and the University of Cambridge for the research. The next step now will be crafting a male contraceptive pill that will work to restrict the RABL2 gene instead of changing or damaging it forever.

Professor O’Bryan continued, “The challenge with developing the male pill isn’t rendering the sperm infertile but turning them back on again.”

The biggest hurdle it seems now for the scientists to overcome is the fact RABL2 is also located in other tissues such as those in the brain, kidneys and liver in lower concentrations. Therefore a male contraceptive pill would have to be constructed in a complex way that has an inhibitor specialised for the testes and will not affect other areas of the body.

Perhaps another hurdle to whether or not male contraceptive pills fully take-off, is if women actually trust the man to take it! This is a subject Medical Specialists Pharmacy looked at briefly in our story mentioned earlier. In addition, it is unknown just when a male pill will even be available. Various studies have been conducted in the last few years but it seems nobody has come forth with a definitive date of release. In the meantime, men could simply opt for the tried and test contraceptive method of condoms, which boast a 98% effectiveness rate. For women, the female birth control pill Dianette has an incredible 99% effective at fulfilling its purpose.

At Medical Specialists Pharmacy, men are already spoilt for choice when it comes to their contraceptive needs. In regards to condoms, Durex and Skins in particularly have an impressive range of weird and wonderful condoms to suit his and her preferences. Some condoms are ultra-thin to the extent you can barely feel it, others are designed to have a ‘tingling’ effect for maximum pleasure, whereas there are also even condoms that come in luscious flavours such as chocolate. If all this isn’t enough, a Durex play vibration ring can be used in conjunction with a condom to add to the pleasure!
Make sure to keep checking the Medical Specialists website for further news, developments and the latest products. We are constantly updating our huge product base and in the next few weeks we will also hope to add Marvelon and Yasmin; two additional female oral contraceptive pills that can also help to fight acne.

Busting 5 of the common myths about sexually transmitted infections

We at Medical Specialists Pharmacy are strong advocates for the promotion of good sexual health and awareness. In fact, in 2010 we teamed up with Skins Condoms to raise awareness for World AIDS day by giving away free condoms for a whole week to any men who obtained erectile dysfunction medication. We also did the same the following year, this time joining forces with Mates Condoms.

You may have heard whisperings or jokes about the subject matter, but what is a sexually transmitted infection (STI), and who can get them? The answer is anyone can. They are diseases passed from one person to another from the result of unprotected sex, i.e. the failure to use a condom. In particularly, it is the under-25s who most commonly succumb to STIs but the stark truth is that anybody who is sexually active is at risk of them, without the necessary precautions.

The most common STI in the UK remains as chlamydia, closely followed by genital warts. It is believed that approximately seven in 10 infected women and half of infected men will not show any clear symptoms of having chlamydia, and the clear message remains that you should always practice safe sex and attend regular health checks if you are concerned.

Some of the problems for the increasing number of cases of STIs in Britain could be attributed to the lack of understanding about the dangerous health risks involved in unprotected sex, especially when with multiple partners. We believe more needs to be done at school-level to properly educate children about the risks involved. For some parents though, it is a sensitive subject and one that many shy away from. Currently in England and Wales, sex education is not a compulsory learning subject and parents can forbid their children from being involved in such lessons. In evidence that supports Medical Specialists’ belief that the government needs to improve on this area urgently, a 2008 study from YouGov for Channel 4, found that around three in ten teenagers complained of requiring more sex and relationship education.

To help educate people on STIs, we will analyse some of the most common preconceptions about STIs and the truth about them:

. You cannot get an STI from oral sex

MYTH! Perhaps worryingly, during oral sex both you and the other person engaging in the sexual activity are both at risk from catching the other person’s infection, if either of you have one. A common problem in this regard is if your partner has a cold sore (oral herpes) and then performs oral sex on you, you are at high risk of herpes in your genital area (genital herpes).

. You can get an STI from a toilet seat

MYTH! STIs are generally not passed on through coming into contact with a toilet seat, and the organisms do not survive for very long outside of the body. However, pubic lice can survive away from the body for roughly 24 hours, so sitting on a contaminated toilet seat puts you at a slight risk of that, but it is still quite unlikely.

. If there are no symptoms, there is no STI

MYTH! You might be alarmed to learn that a great number of STIs are ‘silent’ and have no obvious symptoms at all. On other occasions they are relatively mild to the point whereby more urgent problems requiring attention could be mistaken for something less serious. For instance, there are still a lot of people who wrongly think they are suffering from a bladder infection, when it is actually gonorrhoea they have.

. You cannot contract an STI if your partner is a virgin

MYTH! The aforementioned claim depends entirely on what the person’s definition of virgin is. If this means they have engaged in absolutely no sexual activity at all, then yes the statement is valid. However, maybe a person hasn’t had vaginal sex but they still may have had oral sex, and thus putting themselves at risk of getting an STI. The best thing to do is speak to your partner beforehand. It is worth remembering also that infections such as herpes can be passed from skin-to-skin contact and no penetration has to occur.

. Oral contraceptive pills protect against STIs

MYTH! The purpose of oral contraception pills are in the name; Contraception. Their primary purpose is to stop the woman from becoming pregnant. However, they are still many young girls in the UK who hold onto the belief that these pills can miraculously help to stop them from contracting an STI. Unfortunately, they are sorely mistaken. Condoms remain as being the most effective tool for a barrier against picking up infection.

Dangerous fake ‘Olympic condoms’ amongst a £10,000 haul in London

On the same day we have reported about £117 million of counterfeit drugs being seized in China, we can also confirm that the major problem of counterfeit goods is rife on these shores too!

If you are currently in London and enjoying Team GB’s successful Olympic campaign, please make sure you are always vigilant for fake, poorly made goods and Olympic souvenirs. We are issuing these warnings because since the start of the Games on 27 July, there have been seizures of fake goods totalling roughly £10,000 according to the Westminster trading standards.

Included in the haul were fake ‘Olympic branded’ condoms, mobile phone covers, t-shirts and shoes. Sue Jones, head of Westminster trading standards, hit out at the criminal activities and said, “This isn’t about taking anyone to court, but when traders are trying to trick tourists with shoddy or fake Olympic merchandise, we need to take action. Buying bogus Olympic goods is a false economy – they don’t look right, they break easily, and tourists will go away from London with a poor experience of the Games. We want to make sure that people have the best possible experience of the Games and of Westminster.”

Unfortunately, what Sue Jones didn’t explain in detail is just how dangerous it is purchasing cheaper counterfeit condoms. If the low price attracts you to purchase fake condoms, perhaps the risks you face with them could deter you, and instead opt for genuine, quality-made Durex or Skins condoms.

For example, there is a massive risk the fake condoms will not even do the job they are meant for in the first place! With a lack of good protection on offer, the risk of catching and spreading a sexually transmitted infection such as chlamydia or herpes is massive, as well as unwanted pregnancies.

Male and female contraception should only be purchased from a highly reputable source such as Medical Specialists Pharmacy. Every medication or product dispatched to our patients is 100% genuine and their health is at the core of our business practice. We have a wide range of both Durex and Skins condoms at great prices from our chemist shop. However, if you suspect you may have used a low-quality fake condom, we offer a Clamelle chlamydia test kit for just £24.85 which can be used in the privacy of your own home to prevent an embarrassing visit to your GP. Or, if you have been confirmed as having this or gonorrhoea, the antibiotic Azithromycin can prevent the spread of the bacteria so that your body’s natural defences can fight back and remove the infection from your system. We also have the medication Valtrex working out as costing just £3.50 per tablet, which works by slowing the spread of the herpes virus.

Over a quarter of a million deaths can be averted by contraception

A new study has claimed that the use of effective contraceptive methods could prevent approximately 272,000 maternal deaths from childbirth or dangerous abortions every year. Researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health used a counterfactual modelling approach to imitate the World Health Organization’s (WHO) maternal mortality estimation method. They then calculated the total maternal deaths that were avoided by contraceptive use across 172 different countries.

The researchers extracted data from the WHO’s database for maternal mortality estimation, survey data for contraceptive use and information on births within females aged between 15 to 49 years of age. They also analysed general fertility rates from the United Nations 2010 World Population Prospects database.

After the mammoth task of studying all of the information, the study authors claim that worldwide use of contraception manages to prevent 272,000 maternal deaths each year. This equates to roughly 38 deaths for every 100,000 women who are using effective contraception, such as Dianette. The estimate is equivalent to a 44% global decline in maternal deaths.

The study has been published as part of a series of articles that are focusing on family planning by The Lancet, who produces medical journals and speciality journals in Oncology, Neurology and Infectious Diseases.

In the report, the researchers comment, “If all women in developing countries who want to avoid pregnancy use an effective contraceptive method, the number of maternal deaths would fall by a further 30%. Increasing contraceptive use in developing countries has cut the number of maternal deaths by 40% over the past 20 years. In developing countries, the risk of prematurity and low birth weight doubles when conception occurs within six months of a previous birth, and children born within two years of an elder sibling are 60% more likely to die in infancy than are those born more than two years after their sibling.”

Around 355,000 women died in 2008 while giving birth or from illegal or dangerous abortion, according to the study. Other statistics show that during 1995 and 2000 there were an estimated 338 million pregnancies worldwide that were unplanned or unwanted (28% of the total 1.2 billion pregnancies in this timeframe). These pregnancies culminated in close to 700,000 maternal deaths (around one-fifth of maternal deaths during that period).

With so many unplanned pregnancies and tragic unnecessary fatalities each year, it is inexplicable that an alarming number of men and women around the world still act careless in regards to using contraception. There are a wide variety of weird and wonderful Durex and Skins condoms that are available for men to try, and they are not expensive to buy. Not only do they prevent any unwanted pregnancies, condoms can also drastically reduce the risk of catching sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia, herpes and gonorrhoea, which seem to be on the rise. In addition there are oral contraceptives for women such as Dianette, which is obtainable from Medical Specialists Pharmacy and works out from as little as just £9.99 per month.

A contraceptive gel for men could be introduced in the near future

Men are already spoilt for choice when it comes to their contraceptive needs. In regards to condoms, Durex and Skins in particularly have a vast range of different condoms to suit his and her preferences. Some condoms are ultra-thin to the extent you can barely feel it on, some are designed to have a ‘tingling’ effect for maximum pleasure, whereas others actually come in weird and wonderful flavours such as chocolate. If all this isn’t enough, a durex play vibrations ring can be used in conjunction with a condom to add to the pleasure!

However now, scientists in America are claiming that they are in the development stages of formulating a gel for men that can be applied topically as a method of contraception. The gel is said to contain the male hormone testosterone and a synthetic progestin named ‘nesterone’. The two have been tested in the past, but only by injection, a pill form, or via an implant. In addition, these previous tests resulted in such adverse side effects such as effecting cholesterol levels and outbreaks of acne.

Preliminary tests indicated that the gel managed to keep sperm concentration to less than one million sperm per millilitre within 89% of the men involved in the study and who were given the combination of the testosterone and nesterone. The researchers say that this level is low enough to possibly avoid pregnancy with ‘minimal side effects’. This is compared to only 23% of the participants who saw similar effects after only receiving testosterone. It is though that typical sperm concentration is 15 million per every millilitre.

Dr Christina Wang from the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbour-UCLA Medical Center, led the study and commented on the findings at the Endocrine Society’s 94th Annual Meeting in Houston, Texas, “Up until now, the responsibility for contraception has traditionally always been with the female. With these new contraceptive methods for males, the responsibility will be shared.”

However, men should bear in mind that the gel is still in the early stages of production and its success rates of preventing pregnancy will be much lower that condoms, which boast a 98% effectiveness, and also the female birth control pill is an incredible 99% effective. Dr Wang also added that the treatment ‘warrants further study as a male contraceptive.”

FREE CONDOMS AT MEDICAL SPECIALISTS ONLINE PHARMACY TO SUPPORT WORLD AIDS DAY

 Medical Specialists Pharmacy has joined forces with Skins Condoms to promote safe sex and HIV awareness for World Aids Day.

  

As of June 2010 there are now over 90,000 people in the UK who are living with HIV which is move than ever, and in 2009 there were 6,630 new diagnoses of HIV, some which can be contributed to not wearing a condom whilst engaging in sexual activity. This year alone there were 26,262 diagnoses of Aids in the UK and 19,457 people diagnosed with HIV have died, and over half of all people living with HIV are aged between 30 and 44, which is in-line with the average age range of men being treatment for Erectile Dysfunction online.

This is why from 1st December; Medical Specialists will be giving out free condoms for one week to each patient who buys Erectile Dysfunction treatment on-line.

Condoms are usually used for both birth control but they also reducing the risk of disease. That's why some people think that other forms of birth control -- such as the IUD, diaphragm, cervical cap or pill -- will protect them against diseases, too. But that's not true. So if you use any other form of birth control, you still need a condom in addition to reduce the risk of getting sexually transmitted diseases.

A condom is especially important when an uninfected pregnant woman has sex, because it can also help protect her and her unborn child from a sexually transmitted disease. Hopefully Medical Specialists and Skins can help raise awareness that wearing a condom could stop the spread of HIV and could even save a life.

Further information is available at their website: www.medical-specialists.co.uk