Female Condoms…Wait, Is That A Thing?

I think I may have gotten two questions over the past 10 years about the female condom, and both had to do with whether it was real or a hoax.  I’ve had more people ask about Bigfoot than the female condom, so initially I was hesitant to devote a blog post to it, but I feel that women are very smart cookies and the more information they have the better decisions they make.  Therefore, as a public service akin to Nancy Reagan's war on drugs, I want to enlighten you about this interesting and largely effective mode of birth control.

I’m all about empowering women with choices for birth control, and the female condom is an example of a lessor known method. From experience in my medical practice I can say that this method is one of the least used, and statistics shore this up.  There are a number of reasons for this, some of it extends from ridiculously ineffective marketing to the expense, but regardless of the reasons, few women are using it.  Data indicates that this method of birth control is about 80% effective (about on par with the male condom), but already you can see a problem as most hormonal methods (pill, depo, etc) are quoted as being 98% effective.  That’s a big difference, and needless to say there are a lot of 20% babies out there.  However, 80% is better than nothing, as we all know that having sex once in the back of a pickup after prom will guarantee a pregnancy.

Let me back up a moment and briefly explain what the female condom is.  It is a non-latex sheath (mainly rubber) that is closed at one end (the end that fits inside the vajaja) and open at the other (otherwise sex would be a challenge). The opening has a ring that fits around the labia, thus providing a safe passage for Mr.WeeWee.  This essentially provides a protective covering isolating both genitals from any direct contact, kind of like the Bubble Boy from Seinfeld. This isolation chamber also gives the female condom its second benefit, that of preventing sexually transmitted diseases.  Once again it gives the woman some say so in her own protection by not having to rely on her partner.

I mentioned cost can be a deterrent to use.  Surveys indicate that the price for a single condom can range from $8 to $11.  They are also recommended for single use, so you can see how this might add up.  They don’t require a prescription so many who use the female condom order them from the Internet at a discount.  A word of caution, know your supplier.  Just because they are super cheap, I wouldn’t recommend ordering from the Republic of Ghana.  I just can’t vouch for their quality.

One advantage over the male condom is that the female condom can be placed up to 8 hours before sex.  This can raise a number of interesting questions, most of which I don’t want to get into, but just know that even if you place it long before the event, it should be removed in a timely fashion afterwards.  In spite of some discussion boards, the condoms should not be washed and reused.  I would say it would be a mood killer to open your girlfriend’s dishwasher to see a number of washed condoms splayed across the upper level shelf.  

If used properly, these devices are reasonable effective at both pregnancy and STD prevention.  

For additional information go to : https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/004002.htm.