Condoms

Condoms are barrier devices, usually made of latex, polyurethane, or polyisoprene, that cover the penis during sex to reduce the spread of sexually transmitted infections and prevent pregnancy. They remain one of the most effective and accessible tools for sexual health. In LGBTQ+ communities, condoms became central to HIV prevention during the AIDS crisis and helped drive safer-sex education. Prevention options have since expanded with PrEP and the U=U principle, meaning undetectable equals untransmittable, but condoms still guard against many other infections that those methods do not. Internal condoms worn in the vagina or anus offer another option. Free condom access is widely treated as a public health priority.