FEMALE CONDOMS

The female condom is a strong, soft ,transparent polyurethane sheath inserted in the vagina before sexual intercourse, providing protection against both pregnancy and STIs.It forms a barrier between the penis and the vagina ,cervix and external genitalia.It is stronger than Latex,odourless,causes no allergic reactions and unlike latex may be used both oil based and water based lubricants. It can be inserted prior to intercourse is not dependent on male erection and does not require immediate withdrawal after ejaculation. The female condom has no known side effects or risks.

The female condom has been available in Europe since 1992 and is now available in dozens of countries throughout the world. In 1993 ,the US food and drug administration(FDA) approved the female condom for marketing and distribution .The female condom provides dual protection for preventing pregnancy and STIs which based on laboratory studies should include HIV / AIDS.

Comparison between female and male condom

Both the female and male condom is barrier methods that provide dual protection against pregnancy and STIs. The male Latex condom has been proven to protect against HIV / AIDS .Although no clinical studies of the female condom for HIV prevention have been conducted; laboratory studies indicate that the female condom is impermeable to STIs and HIV. The female condom is the same length as male condom and somewhat wider .They also differ in the following ways:

The male and the female condom should not be used together as friction between the plastic and the latex rubber can result in either product failing.

Including the men among the target populations of promotional and educational efforts is essential to achieve the greater acceptability of the female condom. In many countries men still maintain the dominant role in sexual decision-making, including decisions relating to contraception and disease prevention. Therefore targeting men in the promotion of and education about the female condom is essential and proven effective in improving overall acceptability of the device.

Many reports have shown that once men become familiar with the female condom they like the device as much as and often more than male condom because of the various product benefits.

Remember that the overall objective of introducing the female condom is to increase protected sex acts ,not to switch use from male condoms.

In the past ,women have typically been the target audiences for the development of female condom educational and promotional materials. Additional time and attention need to be committed to motivating men in much the same way , particularly men who rarely practice safe sex. The same technique can be used to develop campaigns directed at men.

How to use female condom (View Image) (View Animated)

The female condom is a new method and requires practice and patience. Practice putting it in and removing it before using it for the first time during sexual intercourse. Insertion becomes easier with time and it may take several tries before you are comfortable with inserting the female condom. Try it at least three times before making any decisions about continuing to try it or not.

The female condom may be unfamiliar at first. It is lubricated and may be slippery to insert. Be patient - with time ,using the female condom becomes easier and easier. You will become more and more comfortable with it each time you use it and so will your partner.

1) Is the female condom difficult to use?

The female condom is not difficult to use, but it may take some practice to get used to it. Supportive and positive counseling for new users is very useful to encourage women not to abandon the female condom until they have tried it several times. Research has indicated that the female condom may need to be tried at least three times before users become confident about inserting the device.

Counselors need to explain that the female condom requires practise and patience. Women should be advised to practise putting it in and removing it before using it for the first time during sexual intercourse. They should try to place the device several times, and each time with the body in a different position (e.g. lying down, crouching, sitting) to find the most comfortable one.

Encouragement should be given that insertion becomes easier with time, and that it may take several tries before the user becomes comfortable with inserting the female condom. They should be encouraged to try it at least three times before making any decisions about Continuing to use it or not.

While individual counseling and personal fitting may help to reassure women, group sessions and peer groups may overcome early abandonment as women can share anxieties, ideas and laughter with each other.

It is important that the penis is guided into the centre of the female condom and not between the vaginal wall and the outer side of the female condom. Diagrams and/or anatomical models should be used to illustrate this problem at introduction. Women and men should be instructed that the penis must be guided to ensure no errors occur. If the penis does enter incorrectly, the man should withdraw his penis and the couple should start again using the same female condom with additional lubrication, if necessary.

The female condom comes pre-lubricated with a silicone-based, non-spermicidal lubricant. This lubrication is necessary to assist in the insertion of the device and to allow easy movement during intercourse. The lubricant may make the female condom a little slippery at first.

If the outer ring of the female condom gets pushed in or the condom pulled out of the vagina, more lubricant may be needed. Also, if the female condom makes noise during sex, simply add more lubricant.

The female condom can be used with both water-based and oil-based lubricants, whereas male latex condoms can only be used with water-based lubricants.

At present the female condom is intended for a single use only. However, researchers are currently exploring the safety of re-use of the female condom. It is anticipated that by mid-2000, the results of the ongoing research will provide adequate information and data to recommend clear guidelines on the re-use of the female condom.

The current research is examining the following properties of the female condom during re-use and after repeated washing, drying and relubrication procedures:

The practice of re-use has been documented in several countries; therefore, clear guidelines based on scientific evidence are urgently needed.

Some women do re p o rt that the inner ring is uncomfortable. If it is, you can try to place the female condom differently (i.e. reinsert or re-position the device) so that the inner ring is tucked back behind the cervix and out of way. On the other hand, s o m e people re p o rt that the inner ring adds to both a man's and a woman's sexual pleasure.

There may be an initial negative reaction to the female condom because of its size, but this feeling diminishes with use. To avoid this misperception of size, it is useful to compare the female condom to an unrolled male condom to highlight that the female condom is the same length but wider than the male condom. It is also important to note that the female condom provides added protection because the base of the penis and the external female genitalia are partly covered during use.

Some strategies that have been used to reduce the possible negative reaction of the woman's sexual partner include introducing the female condom rolled up, to minimize its size (Mexico), and inserting the female condom before the initiation of sexual activity (Zimbabwe). In Zimbabwe, counseling stressed the advantages of the wider diameter, as many men complain about the constricting nature of male condoms.

The proper removal and disposal of the female condom should be included with the packaging of the female condom as well in introductory training programmes:

The female condom can be used in any sexual position; however, additional lubricant may be needed. But some women may feel more comfortable learning to use the female condom in the missionary position, and then adding other positions after that.

Group counseling sessions are often ideal for women to learn from each other how to use the device while having sex in different positions.

You should not use both condoms at the same time. Using the condoms simultaneously may cause friction due to inadequate lubrication resulting in either or both condoms slipping or tearing, and/or the outer ring of the female condom being pushed inside the vagina.

The United States Food and Drug Administration has approved the female condom for a shelf-life of five years from the date of manufacture. Because of the properties of polyurethane, the female condom is not affected by differences in temperature and humidity, so no special storage conditions are required.

Where the female condom has been approved; it is recommended both as a contraceptive and as a method to prevent STI and HIV transmission. It is, therefore, understandable that women may regard the female condom as a contraceptive alternative. If a woman stops using her previous method of contraception when she first tries the female condom, t h e re is a risk that, should she soon reject the female condom, she may not be cove red for pregnancy prevention. One counseling strategy that recognizes both the contraceptive and disease prevention capabilities of the female condom, as well as the "novelty" of a new method, is to define a period w h e re overlap in contraceptive methods can be encouraged. This type of "trial period" will provide a few months for users to become comfortable with the new method and avoid unintended pregnancy during any switch - over period between contraceptive methods. Following this period , the woman can choose to continue with the female condom as her main contraceptive method, to return to her previous method, or to integrate (where appropriate) the female condom into her contraceptive/disease prevention mix.

Where available, it is important to also discuss the possibility of using emergency contraception as a back-up for the prevention of conception in the case of non-use or failure of the female condom (for example if the condom is removed before ejaculation) during any specific act of sexual intercourse. A female condom client should be given information about where emergency contraception can be obtained, and when and how it should be used.