[Is today's condom better than its reputation?].

In a statistical sample of 500 unwanted pregnancies surprisingly the share of women whose partners used a condom was not higher than the share of IUP-users (considering the relative frequency of use of both methods). This result was the motivation to investigate once more the use of the condom. After a short description of the history, the production, and the testing methods a discussion follows of the frequency of its use. In many countries the frequency of using the condom lies between that of hormonal oral contraceptives and the IUP. Today the reliability of the condom is higher than described in medical textbooks. In statistics of the seventies the failure rate is no more than 3 unwanted pregnancies in 100 years of usage. Harmful side effects or contraindications are not known. Therefore in cases of incompatibility or refusion of hormonal oral contraceptives reflections of the doctor on useful alternative methods of contraception should include the recommendation of the condom.