10 Things You Never Knew About Birth Control

Popping the pill or carrying a roll of condoms in our purses has become second nature to most of us, and protection is something we often take for granted now that it is so widely available. However, it may come as a surprise that our knowledge of protection isn't as all-encompassing as we thought! This article from Cosmopolitan sheds some light on 10 shocking facts that will make you rethink just how much you know about your contraception!

>> Read more: Pregnancy Prevention: Knowing Your Birth Control Options

Only 5 percent of men around the world wear condoms. Keep in mind, this is a cross section of a variety of different countries that may or may not have easy access to contraception. But still, 5 percent is low. Really low. Especially considering the goal is 100 percent.

There are four different kinds of condoms. Now that things like cloth and turtle shells (yes, really) have gone out of style, there aren't as many condom options, but that's probably a good thing. Most condoms are made out of latex, but there's non-latex for anyone with an allergy, and those are usually made of polyurethane. Some are even made of polyisoprene, if you're unlucky enough to be allergic to both latex and polyurethane. Then there are lambskin condoms, which are actually made from lamb intestines, not skin. Finally, you can always pick up female condoms, which function drastically differently but are still designed to protect against pregnancy and STIs.

>> Want to learn more? Click here to see what you need to know about 'Female Viagra!'

You basically have tires to thank for the modern condom. Charles Goodyear's rubber vulcanization process led to the first rubber condom being produced in 1855, which is why even present-day latex condoms are sometimes called "rubbers" by people like your grandfather and carnival barkers.

Condoms basically haven't been redesigned since they were invented. Trojan had a latex condom out in the 1920s, and despite all the advances made with bumps and ridges, the condom has remained largely unchanged since.

Condoms (on average) don't really affect how good the sex is. Surveys show that couples were just as satisfied with sex whether or not they were using condoms. So considering condoms are 98 percent effective at preventing pregnancy and make sex ten-thousands of times safer, "it doesn't feel good" isn't an excuse not to use one.

>> Read more: Going All the Way: How to Have Your Best Orgasm

To learn more about the mysteries of birth control, read the full article from Cosmopolitan by clicking here!