Condoms put to the (lab) test

Could it be a case of you get what you pay for?

Two of the three types of free condoms offered by Planned Parenthood received poor ratings, according to rankings that appear in the February issue of Consumer Reports.

That doesn't necessarily mean you should expect condoms from Planned Parenthood to result in unplanned parenthoods. All three of the group's branded condoms - including one that received a score of "excellent" - meet minimum safety standards, Consumer Reports said. It's just that two of the group's condoms scored the lowest among 23 types in air-inflation tests that measured strength and reliability.

Nevertheless, Planned Parenthood has since redesigned its "Honeydew" condom, which was the magazine's lowest-ranked brand with two "poor" ratings in strength and reliability. The group resubmitted all three of its brands for independent testing and received "excellent results," said Karen Pearl, president and chief executive of Planned Parenthood of Nassau County. The group's "Assorted Colors" brand was ranked next-to-last with a "poor" mark for strength but an "excellent" for reliability. The "Lollipop" got an overall "excellent" rating.

Pearl criticized the magazine for performing only air-inflation tests, which she said tend to favor thinner condoms.

But Geoffrey Martin, the magazine's director of consumer sciences, said other tests, such as those measuring water leakage, aren't as useful.

Top scores were given to condoms from makers Durex, LifeStyles, TheyFit and Trojan.