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A survey of more than 1,000 men in India has concluded that condoms made according to international sizes are too large for a majority of local men, BBC reports.
The study found that more than half of the men measured had male members that were small and shorter than international standards for condoms. This sad state of affairs has led to a call for condoms of mixed sizes to be made more widely available in India.
The two-year study was carried out by the Indian Council of Medical Research. Over 1,200 volunteers from the length and breadth of the country had their 'dudus' measured precisely, down to the last millimetre.
Just to show you how thorough the scientists were, they even checked their samples and ensured they were representative of India as a whole in terms of class, religion and urban and rural dwellers.
The conclusion of this entire scientific endeavour is that about 60 per cent of Indian men have 'dudus' which are between three and five centimetres shorter than international standards used in condom manufacture.
Doctor Chander Puri, a specialist in reproductive health at the Indian Council of Medical Research, told the BBC there was an obvious need in India for custom-made condoms, as most of those currently on sale are too large.
The issue is serious because about one in every five times a condom is used in India it either falls off or tears, an extremely high failure rate.
And the country already has the highest number of HIV infections of any nation. Mr Puri said that since Indians would be embarrassed about going to a chemist to ask for smaller condoms there should be vending machines dispensing different sizes all around the country.
"Smaller condoms are on sale in India. But there is a lack of awareness that different sizes are available. There is anxiety talking about the issue. And normally one feels shy to go to a chemist's shop and ask for a smaller size condom."
But Indian men need not be concerned about measuring up internationally according to Sunil Mehra, the former editor of the Indian version of the men's magazine Maxim.
"It's not size, it's what you do with it that matters," he consoled locals, adding that the country's huge population is sufficient proof that Indian men are doing pretty well between sheets, save for this small matter of condoms being too big.
