Condom Ring size...

Hiya :hi:

After having our first baby :bounce: my wife is now breastfeeding - that means no pill. so I have to use condoms (or no real sex).

Trouble is, that since I live in Australia, the widest condoms you can get here are still too small. It looks like I'll need to import some from the US.

I don't think that I'll have a problem with the larger sizes around the shaft, because its about 5.5+ inches around the head, and only about 5.5 inches around the middle. Trouble is that at the base its around 6.5 - 7 inches, and that tends to strangle me a bit.

Because of the incredible cost of postage from the US to Australia, I want to get this right (otherwise I may as well book us on a trip to Hawaii where all the money used in postage could go to a holiday... only joking). I was thinking of Magnum XL would be a good fit at the base, but might be a bit loose in the middle.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

BTW Site rocks! :yourock:

First, speak to your doctor. Ages ago, in biology class, they told me that during breastfeeding, the body's natural hormonal balance is such that getting pregnant again should be unlikely. But, I'm not sure how this may be in reality.

I formerly used the Magnum XL before switching to the They Fit U22. My situation is a bit different, as my entire penis is comparable in girth to your base. However, I found that the "ring" or "bead" at the open end of the Magnum XL was quite uncomfortable. Getting the condom off was difficult, as the ring would press itself deep into my flesh. (I've never been able to just pull a condom off, I have to roll them inside out, making the ability to grip the ring with my fingers important.) When I did get the condom off, my penis would have a groove in it from the ring. The situation was vastly improved with the They Fit U22. Easy on, easy off (still have to roll it inside out), and comfortable. However, as your penis is a different shape, I'm not sure if my experience applies or not.

One problem with any standard condom made for sale in the USA is that the US Food and Drug Administration sort of requires that the condom be fairly small at some point near the base. This is out of concern of slippage or leakage on an average-width penis. Therefore, US condoms are, in general, not good for a penis with a wide flare at the base. The They Fit brand was able to circumvent the FDA width requirements by having you measure your penis, hopefully avoiding misapplication of wide condoms. However, I'm not sure the They Fit condoms (if you could even get them) will work for you, because they are not tapered, and will probably be way too loose in the middle.

(Sorry about the semi-duplicate post...something screwy happend while I was trying to edit the original.)

First, speak to your doctor.* Ages ago, in biology class, they told me that during breastfeeding, the body's natural hormonal balance is such that getting pregnant again should be unlikely.* But, I'm not sure how this may be in reality, although some quick research shows that consistent, exclusive breastfeeding may give about 6 months of protection.* I also belive it is possible to use the progestin-only pill (POP) during breastfeeding, starting 6 weeks post-partum, for added security.

Now, about condoms...

I formerly used the Magnum XL before switching to the They Fit U22.* My situation is a bit different, as my entire penis is comparable in girth to your base.* However, I found that the "ring" or "bead" at the open end of the Magnum XL was quite uncomfortable.* Getting the condom off was difficult, as the ring would press itself deep into my flesh.* (I've never been able to just pull a condom off, I have to roll them inside out, making the ability to grip the ring with my fingers important.)* When I did get the condom off, my penis would have a groove in it from the ring.* The situation was vastly improved with the They Fit U22.* Easy on, easy off (still have to roll it inside out), and comfortable.* However, as your penis is a different shape, I'm not sure if my experience applies or not.

One problem with any standard condom made for sale in the USA is that the US Food and Drug Administration sort of requires that the condom be fairly small at some point near the base.* This is out of concern of slippage or leakage on an average-width penis.* Therefore, US condoms are, in general, not good for a penis with a wide flare at the base.* The They Fit brand was able to circumvent the FDA width requirements by having you measure your penis, hopefully avoiding misapplication of wide condoms.* However, I'm not sure the They Fit condoms (if you could even get them) will work for you, because they are not tapered, and will probably be way too loose in the middle.

My brother is a 6'6" tall, 250 pound piece of evidence that it isn't true. He's barely ten months younger that me, though my mother coyly tries to maintain 11 when speaking of the matter.

So be sure to take precauions of some kind. Being pregnant and breastfeeding at the same time bathed my mother in a hormone soup that just about drove her crazy. (Though it wasn't a long drive, alas)

Ta guys :hi:

Old myth, a lot of unprotected woman have been really surprised to get pregnant again during breastfeeding !

What I was really trying to say, before I got all flustered by a problem editing my first post, was that the hormonal state present during breastfeeding may allow effective contraception with a milder form of birth control pill than would otherwise be used. Sometimes called "mini pills," the birth control pills intended for use during breastfeeding have moderate does of progesterone only. Such pills usually do not interfere with lactation, unlike pills also containing estrogen. Examples of progesterone-only contaceptives approved (by FDA in the USA) for use during breastfeeding include the Micronor pill (made by Ortho-McNeil, see http://www.orthomcneil.com/healthinfo/wome.../different.html ). However, every situation is different, so these may or may not be right for any given person. Hence, my suggestion to discuss this possibility with your doctor.