As early as 6'000 years ago the used a forerunner of the modern condom. These condom-like devices were primarily designed for : against injuries in battle, insects and . During the 16th century the Italian doctor Fallopio recommended linen bags for the penis as the only effective protection against the venereal disease . A hundred years later at the court of the French , velvet and silk were preferred to sackcloth.
The common used today exists thanks to Charles .

Today one can easily get condoms at , at petrol stations, at a condomeria, etc. But it is important to make sure that there is a symbol on condom packets. Getting condoms virtually everywhere was not always so easy. In earlier times it was considered indecent to talk openly about sex, or even condoms. In those years it was solely the that gave out condoms to its soldiers, because during the First World War too many of them had been taken ill with . The taboo on the condom only really began to lift in the 19s.

In the 1990s the BAG () conducted a vigorous . To good effect: today the Swiss buy 18 million condoms .

Although the condom is known today, condoms are either unavailable or too in many parts of the world. The consequences are disastrous. In , for example, is one of the most common causes of death.