Does this mean that 2% are likely to break, or that one slips through the mesh 2% of the time?

The 2% failure rate accounts for the morons who don't know how to put a condom on properly.

Dude I always wondered about this too.

Does this mean that if I have sex a 100 times using condoms... Is it most likely that it'll break twice?

I feel like such a moron asking that question :/

It's a mean average.

For those people who use a condom as the only method of contraception, typically 2/100 people will have a kid on the way.

User error mainly. If a person puts it on backwards, if they let it slip off, if they put it on wrong and it breaks, when you use it for far too long and are far to violent with it on, etc etc...

quote:Originally posted by Soda_Can_Sniper:

It's a mean average.

For those people who use a condom as the only method of contraception, typically 2/100 people will have a kid on the way.

No this is wrong. Its is an average but what you are talking about is probability.

Ill give an example.

You have 100 marbles in bag, now there is 98 yellow marbles and 2 blue marbles. You have a 98% chance of getting a yellow marble. Now after every time you pull a marble out you must put it back in for it to remain an average. So there is always 100 marbles.

Now. some poeple are confusing the 98% with probablilty. This would mean if you bought 100 condoms 2 would fail. This is not true. It has to be looked at on an indivudual basis. Every condom has a 2% chance to fail not 2 out of every 100.

People are getting the words Average, and Probabilty confused.

quote:Originally posted by Soda_Can_Sniper:

It's a mean average.

For those people who use a condom as the only method of contraception, typically 2/100 people will have a kid on the way.

Doubt it, that is a fuck load of people getting pregnant.

senior year in high school my sex ed teacher said that each form of b.c. is supposed to be tested by 100 people over the course of a year. and with this scenario, that would mean that in 1 year 2 out of a hundred people got pregnant (whatever the reason may be).

idk if he was right, but i figured i would put that in just in case.

quote:Originally posted by Hecklerkoch777:



Doubt it, that is a fuck load of people getting pregnant.



No I used to think it DID mean 2 percent of them break, but apparently they calculate it by doing a study of people who used condoms as their only source of contraception, and then after a year they check how many people got pregnant anyway.

I expect this will relieve a lot of guys. It sure did when I found it out...

Yep.

But I think everyone is right here. In their study, like I posted, it's 2/100.

But, in real life, as long as you know how to use the damn thing, it's likely you'll never see one break, therefore <2%. It may be latex, but it's not indestructible.

quote:Originally posted by fullcircle:



No I used to think it DID mean 2 percent of them break, but apparently they calculate it by doing a study of people who used condoms as their only source of contraception, and then after a year they check how many people got pregnant anyway.

I expect this will relieve a lot of guys. It sure did when I found it out...

So this is the most flawed study ever. What if some of the people in their study are baren, or have a higher percent chance of pregnancy, or dont have sex that often.

Furthermore, if the condom breaks an average of 2% of the time, that doesnt mean that you get pregnant 2% of the time, people dont automatically get pregnant when they have unprotected sex.

Nothing is ever for sure, but if you know how to use a condom, and you check after sex to make sure it didnt break, then you should be able to not get pregnant.

quote:Originally posted by J-Beth:

No this is wrong. Its is an average but what you are talking about is probability.

Ill give an example.

You have 100 marbles in bag, now there is 98 yellow marbles and 2 blue marbles. You have a 98% chance of getting a yellow marble. Now after every time you pull a marble out you must put it back in for it to remain an average. So there is always 100 marbles.

Now. some poeple are confusing the 98% with probablilty. This would mean if you bought 100 condoms 2 would fail. This is not true. It has to be looked at on an indivudual basis. Every condom has a 2% chance to fail not 2 out of every 100.

People are getting the words Average, and Probabilty confused.

Interesting.

I put a condom on my hand, but she still got pregnant. What do I do?!

quote:Originally posted by J-Beth:

No this is wrong. Its is an average but what you are talking about is probability.

Ill give an example.

You have 100 marbles in bag, now there is 98 yellow marbles and 2 blue marbles. You have a 98% chance of getting a yellow marble. Now after every time you pull a marble out you must put it back in for it to remain an average. So there is always 100 marbles.

Now. some poeple are confusing the 98% with probablilty. This would mean if you bought 100 condoms 2 would fail. This is not true. It has to be looked at on an indivudual basis. Every condom has a 2% chance to fail not 2 out of every 100.

People are getting the words Average, and Probabilty confused.

If every condom has a 2% chance to fail, then in 100 condom uses there should be about 2% failing. That's what it means.

The study concluded that out of couples that use only condoms as birth control, 2 out of every 100 couples will have a baby after a year.

Now, couples generally have sex many times in a year. So in that 100 couples, there was a lot more than 100 times of sex.

Lets just say 100 couples have sex 10,000 times in a year (made up number). Based on the study, only 2 of those 10,000 times will result in a pregnancy. And this doesn't take into account the possibility that the condom was used incorrectly.

So all in all, condoms are very safe.

quote:Originally posted by BazookaJoe:

And this doesn't take into account the possibility that the condom was used incorrectly.

Yes it does. That's why a condom is only "98%" effective...

User-error, bud.

quote:Originally posted by BazookaJoe:

The study concluded that out of couples that use only condoms as birth control, 2 out of every 100 couples will have a baby after a year.

Now, couples generally have sex many times in a year. So in that 100 couples, there was a lot more than 100 times of sex.

Lets just say 100 couples have sex 10,000 times in a year (made up number). Based on the study, only 2 of those 10,000 times will result in a pregnancy. And this doesn't take into account the possibility that the condom was used incorrectly.

So all in all, condoms are very safe.

this is right. and the statistic only deals with people who use them correctly. it doesn't account for user error.

just bc the condom didnt work doesnt mean she is nocked up...

-welcome to the disease there's no cure for

quote:Originally posted by J-Beth:

You have 100 marbles in bag, now there is 98 yellow marbles and 2 blue marbles. You have a 98% chance of getting a yellow marble. Now after every time you pull a marble out you must put it back in for it to remain an average. So there is always 100 marbles.

Now. some poeple are confusing the 98% with probablilty. This would mean if you bought 100 condoms 2 would fail. This is not true. It has to be looked at on an indivudual basis. Every condom has a 2% chance to fail not 2 out of every 100.

If every condom has a 2% chance of failing, then it'll work out that two out of every hundred fail (not exactly, but if you did it with ten thousand condoms*, you'd get very close to 200 failing if the statistic is accurate). That's just... how it works. Like with your analogy; with a hundred marbles in the bag every time, on average two people out of every hundred would end up getting a yellow marble. 2% and "two out of every hundred" are interchangeable in this context, even if it doesn't literally mean that exactly two out of every hundred condoms will fail.

*I volunteer for this study.

EDIT: This is assuming that that statistic is correct. With the one fullcircle posted about, BazookaJoe's explanation is correct.

[This message has been edited by Mr.Happy (edited 12-23-2006).]

the 2 % failure rate is a load of shit. thats based entirely off a water leakage test and gives no consideration to the possibility of breaking while in use. its more like a 17% failure rate

Just because the condom breaks doesn't mean you get pregnant. It's takes quite a bit of effort to get pregnant in many cases.

i just got the statistics. here is the truth, according to one of the most reliable sources out there. (the fact sheet of a certain birth control product.)

women experiencing unintended pregnancy during the first year of typical use of male condom: 14%

women experiencing unintended pregnancy during the first year of perfect use of male condom: 3%

women experiencing unintended pregnancy during the first year of sex with NO birth control method: 85%

those are the facts, kids.

edit: interestingly:

women experiencing unintended pregnancy during the first year of the withdrawal method: 19%

[This message has been edited by lauren7249 (edited 12-23-2006).]

quote:Originally posted by lauren7249:

i just got the statistics. here is the truth, according to one of the most reliable sources out there. (the fact sheet of a certain birth control product.)

women experiencing unintended pregnancy during the first year of typical use of male condom: 14%

women experiencing unintended pregnancy during the first year of perfect use of male condom: 3%

women experiencing unintended pregnancy during the first year of sex with NO birth control method: 85%

those are the facts, kids.



The 'typical' bit is worrying...very worrying. Don't they teach correct use of a condom in schools these days? Pretty sure they do here in the UK.

Ya know?

1.open packet carefully without using finger nails/sharp objects/machetes.

2.unroll over head- completely cover nose but not mouth.

3.blow air out through nose til condom pops off head.



[This message has been edited by jackketch (edited 12-23-2006).]

quote:Originally posted by jackketch:



The 'typical' bit is worrying...very worrying. Don't they teach correct use of a condom in schools these days? Pretty sure they do here in the UK.

Ya know?

1.open packet carefully without using finger nails/sharp objects/machetes.

2.unroll over head- completely cover nose but not mouth.

3.blow air out through nose til condom pops off head.





that's why they recommend using 2 methods. the pill only has a 5% pregnancy rate after a year with typical use (not perfect use). if you combine that with the male condom, your chances of getting pregnant after a year of typical use of both methods are only .7%.

quote:Originally posted by midvalley:

just bc the condom didnt work doesnt mean she is nocked up...

-welcome to the disease there's no cure for

Abortion?



*runs like fuck*