I was wondering how effective condoms are in protecting against HIV. I was told that they are pretty effective. I was wondering what your input on this matter was.

There's a very good reason that I only speak of safer sex and not safe sex, and that's that there is no 100 percent sure way of preventing the transmission of HIV if you are having sex with an infected partner. Latex condoms, not the sheepskin variety, do prevent the virus from entering the vagina, but condoms do break once in a while; some people are careless in removing the condom and leakage could seep into the vagina; and the virus can also be communicated through oral sex. If you really want to be protected against AIDS, in addition to using condoms, both partners should be tested for the virus first, and after you've been given the all clear, you have to be able to trust one another not to cheat and have sex outside of the relationship.