Does age have any bearing on condom use?

[AdamInEve]

OK, we know the condom threads have been done to death but now being a year into our swinging career we seem to have found, contrary to what we have read in these threads, that the vast majority of couples we have had dealings with, whether we have played with or just discussed our rules with, do not use condoms regardless of what they may say in their profiles. None has every refused to wear them but they have always made it a point to let us know they would rather not.

If it were just one or two couples we met that didn't use them we could understand but we have been to clubs, house parties and conventions and without fail rarely has anyone ever broke out the condoms. Actually as we reflect deeper we should say, never has anyone broke out the condoms. When we discussed entering the lifestyle we just assumed that condom usage would be there norm but quickly found out different. There is no way that we are just by chance picking people that don't use them.

It got us thinking that maybe it is just couples in our age range, (upper 40's) that feel they aren't necessary. Maybe the older people get, the safer they feel. All the threads we have read here have shown the majority of people on this board use them but since we don't normally play with younger couples we thought we would create a poll to break it down by age groups. We really have no other answers for this anomaly.

We would like to hear other peoples thoughts or experiences on this issue

[athenagirl]

Well, having never been to a club or house party, all I can comment on is my own experience as a single woman in her 50's. I find that people in "my" age group (about 45-60 and over) tend not to use condoms. I think maybe it's because we grew up in a time when sex couldn't kill you! On the other hand, I have a sometime lover who is 35 (yes, you read that right!) and he always uses condoms. (At least with me). And from what I can tell from my other friends in that age bracket, most of them use condoms at least part of the time.
So I think it's in some part related to one's upbringing regarding why condoms are necessary.

[eatnlickme]

Yes

We have found it ends up depending on the comfort level of all the persons in the room.

We have policy of condoms all the time with everyone when swinging....

That said with a select few that we have gotten to know and are all comfortable with we have gone bareback.

[socolais]

Both my wife and I prefer without condoms but will easily follow our playmate's comfort factor. Frequent position and activity changes are much easier and more fun without condoms.

[LFM2]

Our condom requirements are non-negotiable. They are to be worn with every intercourse situation, no matter who you are.

We've also noticed that people in our age bracket don't like to use condoms. (we're 41 and over)

What did Sue Johanson say? No glove, no love. Don't be a fool, wrap your tool. etc... That's us.

[Tia Vampire]

We alway use condoms. Why wouldn't you use a condom at any age?

[JTcamp05]

Originally Posted by athenagirl

I think maybe it's because we grew up in a time when sex couldn't kill you!

Yes.....Missed out on those days! Just not fair! We use them for many reasons, just the responsible thing to do.

[red96]

We always require our playmate to wear a condom for intercourse , it is a strict rule with us that we adhere to. I have actually stopped the action and made our partner put one on before continuing. Even though they knew upfront we required condom use, in the heat of passion (I hope ) they tried to go without.
We always bring our own too in case our playmate forgets.

[slevin]

We voted that we always use condoms, but I think I should clarify. When Katrina and I have sex we don't use a condom, but with anyone else we always use a condom. It's not negotiable for us at all. Though we don't 'like' using a condom, with anyone else we require it due to concern over the risk of pregnancy. The STD issue is a smaller issue since most STDs that you're likely to contract either aren't protected against with a condom, or can be cleared up with some antibiotics.

We always bring our own condoms as well, that way we are never worried about if condoms are around.

[bitNtim]

We voted that we would rather not use condoms but do on occasion. The occasion when we are with people who are not in committed relationships and who we do not know as friends. We are late 50's and started swinging before we were 30. In our experience, many husbands and wives who profess conditionally to demand condom use will break the rule when they are in separate room situations. We often compare notes on this after a party. Your poll seems to be accurate so far in finding that younger couples will and must use condoms regularly. If I see someone familiar having unprotected sex with their spouse I feel very safe having unprotected sex with them. If they are unfamiliar then I will certainly ask about condom use and never debate the issue if they require them. Anyway, since 1983 we have never had a problem.

[Chucat]

Our rule is to wrap the tool! The STD part of this is a NO-BRAINER...maybe it's something you can work around after you've gotten to know your partner(s) better...but it's still better to err on the side of caution. We may be a little unique in that, because I'm v-safe, she's been able to stop taking the pill and while there are many good reasons to take the pill, they're just not the answer for everybody. Long story short...we have blissful unprotected sex at home as it should be, but outside of our marriage pregnency is also a possibility!

The question we've heard before is "If you don't require condoms for oral sex then why do you require them for penetration?" We've never really heard a good argument for that question...much less having been able to provide a good argument to that ourselves.

[good times]

Well, your observations match ours. We too have been to clubs and swinger parties all over the country, and I would have to agree that most people prefer not to use condoms.

Some prefer not to use them simply because they don't like them. Others, like myself have researched the effectiveness of condoms at preventing std's and came to the conclusion that, for the std's that we are most likely to encounter in swinging, they are pretty much useless.

That being said most folks are like us, if we want to play with someone who require condoms, we use them. We have only run across a few couples that refuse to play if condoms are required.

[Clarmane]

Seeing that my wife gets a alergic reaction from latec,we expect a full std screen test result(taken in the week we want to play) from our playmate.

[spamcatcher]

We're in that "older" category of 50+, started swinging just last year, and prefer bareback.

We married early, I'd never had anyone except my wife, and only had used a condom a couple of times, just to see what it felt like. Oddly, perhaps, I have more trouble with ejaculation control wearing a condom, because it's such an unusual feeling for me.

[JustAskJulie]

My experiences over the years are pretty much as others have mentioned. I would say I've seen them used more often than not in swinging encounters (both those I've been involved in and not) but I've rarely ever seen anyone outright refuse to play without one.

Years ago, I did once end up in the middle of a serious argument between a husband and wife because he was doing me without one. It was at a house party and she came in while he was going at me and went off. I had no idea it was their rule and he never mentioned it either, but I still felt at fault for some reason. Enough so that it took me several months to feel comfortable going back to their parties.