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"So a huge international counterfeit condom ring was just busted in China. By &amp;quot;huge&amp;quot; I mean that 4.65 million packaged prophylactics&amp;amp;#8212;all bearing the names of real brand-name condoms&amp;amp;#8212;and another 1,100 pounds of unpackaged condoms were found at the scene. Um, wow. Counterfeit condoms. Ladies, this may sound very &amp;quot;duh,&amp;quot; but we don&amp;#x27;t want to be dealing with counterfeit condoms. One, because they&amp;#x27;re not regulated the way real condoms are. Two, they&amp;#x27;ll likely be made with cheap ingredients that you don&amp;#x27;t want anywhere near your body. Three, they are far less likely to protect against pregnancy or STDs. In fact, says Thomas Amedzra, head of drug enforcement at the Ghanaian Food and Drug Authority (FDA): &amp;quot;When we tested those condoms, we found that they are poor quality, can burst in the course of sexual activity, and have holes which expose the users to unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease.&amp;quot; So how do you avoid these faux contraceptives? The fakes look a lot like the real deal (check out the very subtle differences!), so make sure you buy from reputable stores&amp;amp;#8212;not in bulk from some random online seller, not on a street corner (not like you would, but you know), not in an iffy market. And be leery of condoms that are super cheap&amp;amp;#8212;they may be so for a reason. Just a little PSA for your Thursday! Have you heard of fake condoms before? More about contraceptives: * The morning-after pill...for anyone! * Good news about birth control from Planned Parenthood * Have pill questions? We answer them all here Photo: Thinkstock"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2013/05/counterfeit-condoms-did-you-kn>