Ladies, having trouble getting your man to wear a condom because he can't feel anything?

Well, no more excuses! LifeStyles has released a new mentholated condom that is lubricated inside-and-out and guaranteed to heighten the sexual experience for both partners, marketers say. But the dual lubrication of the product, known as the X2 Condom, has prompted at least one doctor to call into question its effectiveness.

"Lubricating a condom on the inside may cause a condom to slip, which would increase the chance of pregnancy and transmission of a sexually transmitted diseases,'' said Lauren Streicher, M.D., an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago. "In the absence of scientific studies confirming that this is not the case, I would not recommend use of this condom.''

But Carol Carrozza, vice president of marketing for Ansell Healthcare Products, the makers of LifeStyles Condoms in Red Bank, N.J., says the condoms will not slide off and that they have the same amount of lubricant as normal condoms.
"We've just divided half of the lubricant for her and half for him,'' she said. "We call it game changing because it's the first of its kind. We've taken condoms to the next level to encourage people to use them.''

Indeed, while the jury is still out on the efficacy of the X2 condom, which hit the market this summer, the African Americans can benefit from anything that will encourage safe sex.

The African American community continues to have higher rates of gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis than any other population in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A review of racial/ethnic disparities in health outcomes measured by the Healthy People 2010 objectives found that STDs and HIV accounted for the five greatest health disparities for the African American population in 2003.

LifeStyles hopes that the added sensation will be a draw for consumers. The gel contains both menthol and L-Arginine, a natural amino acid that, when ingested, has been shown to help increase circulation by relaxing and dilating blood vessels to enhance blood flow; while the menthol produces a tingling sensation, according to the news release.

Francine A. Olds, M.D., an obstetrician gynecologist in Virginia Beach, Va., is hopeful about the product.

"It would be a great day if we could get non-users to see condoms as a means of sexual enhancement, comply, and thus have protection as the byproduct,'' she said.