It should be an easy mission to walk into a store and buy a box of condoms. But the closer I get to the aisle of my desired purchase, the more self-conscious I become.

Have you ever noticed the 25 senior citizens who seem to suddenly appear at the condom display, pretending to buy Polident so they can watch you locate your favorite brand of prophylactics?

And surely I’m not the only one who has gone into a store with the intent to buy only one item — condoms — and left with $25 worth of purchases because I needed things to fill my cart so I could hide the Trojans.

Let’s face it. It’s an uncomfortable situation because we’re afraid people will judge us. But it shouldn’t be. I should feel as comfortable buying condoms as I do buying a bottle of Mountain Dew or a box of Rice-A-Roni.

It’s not that I don’t want to buy condoms. I’m happy to be a condom consumer because, hey, there’s some type of sexual activity in the forecast and that’s a good thing.

But there is still a social stigma attached to condom buying and I think it’s time we work together to stop it because we must use condoms. The slightest bit of apprehension or embarrassment may stop us from buying them, and we all know that is a mistake.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, more than one million Americans are infected with HIV each year, and an estimated 12 million other sexually transmitted diseases occur. We need to start buying a lot more condoms to make these numbers decrease. So let’s get comfortable with the thought of condoms.

Research on these latex wonders which save us from the elements of the dark side — HIV, unwanted pregnancy and genital warts — was where I began my crusade.

I learned some interesting facts, which I use to spark condom conversations with my co-workers and friends. I highly recommend you do the same.

• All U.S. condoms, as mandated by an FDA rule, are 6.25 to 8.25 inches long, 1.85 to 2.25 inches wide and .000625 to .000825 inches thick, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

• The folks at the centers also conducted a study that showed the U.S. breakage rate for condoms is less than 2 out of every 100 condoms.

• The Department of Health and Human Services reported a study in Europe of couples in which one partner was infected with HIV and the other was not. Among the 123 couples who reported consistent condom use, none of the uninfected partners became infected. The 122 couples who did not use condoms consistently reported that 12 of the uninfected partners became infected. There’s no doubt about, condoms work.

• One Web site reported the father of the condom to be Gabriel Fallopius. Yep, he got the tubes named after him, too. Fallopius, a 16th century physician, designed a medicated linen sheath that fit over the tip of the penis and was secured by the foreskin. He then made sheaths for circumcised men that were a standard eight inches long and were tied securely at the base with a ribbon. Hmmmm, interesting. The sole purpose of these early “overcoats” was to protect men from sexual diseases.

• If you search the “Yahoo!” Web site for “condom,” you can score at least three free condoms, one each from Durex, Trojan and Sheik, which will be sent to you by mail in six to eight weeks.

• There are more than 400 synonyms for condom on The Sheath File Web page. Some of my favorites: sperminal terminals, Wild Willy’s worm puppets, hot-juice balloons, bullet bags, Mr. Hoppy’s business suits, non-breeders cups, wetness protection programs and manhole covers.

Now that I’m condom savvy, I talk to people about my findings. Naturally my first question to them is, “What brand of condoms do you use?”

I have been amazed at how uncomfortable this makes people. OK, it is a bit personal, but we have to learn to talk freely and more frequently about our contraceptive choices.

I’m not afraid to tell people I’m a Trojan gal. When I buy condoms, I always go straight to the purple box of Trojans — the “very sensitive spermicidal lubricant” ones to be exact. I have bonded with many people because it is their condom-o-choice, too.

In fact, Iowa State students have overwhelmingly said they use and buy “America’s #1 Condom, Trusted for Over 80 Years” (Trojan’s slogan for you Sheik and Lifestyles people out there). Trojan condoms seem to be where it’s at.

After making this discovery, I wanted to learn more about these highly-regarded rubbers, but I was greatly disappointed with my Trojan Webpage results. There was no phone number, no email address, nothing with which to get in touch with the condom makers.

So I pulled out a box of Trojan condoms, thinking there would surely be a customer satisfaction number I could call. Nope, strike two. Finally, I found three numbers for Trojan’s mother company, Carter-Wallace, Inc. in New Jersey.

I’m going to call these guys and get some answers to some burning questions I have about Trojan condoms. If you want to know anything about Trojan, or any other brand of condom, let me know ([email protected]). I’ll report my findings next week.

Together, we can take the embarrassment out of condom buying.

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Keesia Wirt is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Panora. She is editor-in-chief of the Daily.