Growing up in Denmark and being a teenager in the mid-’70s, I remember Lasse Hessel spreading the word about healthy living. The doctor hosted a popular, government-sponsored TV series and wrote books, newspaper columns and articles, all focused on teaching us Danes how to live well—Lev Vel was the title of his health magazine.
In 1991, Hessel published a bestselling book and videotape, Window on Love, where he demonstrated with ultrasound scans how a penis moves inside a woman’s vagina during intercourse. So it was no surprise to anyone when he soon after launched yet another novel idea—the Femidom, also known as the female condom. A decade late, this invention earned him the British Queens Award for Enterprise.
 Familiar, but with a twist: This is the condom de la femme. |
How is the female condom different from the male version? It is designed to be worn by the woman, and most versions look like a small pouch with two flexible rings at each end. The ring at the dead end fits around the cervix and the other ring stays outside the entrance to the vagina. So the vaginal wall is lined with the condom all around. You insert it just like a tampon, which for some can be a little tricky at first. Occasionally, female condoms can slip out, just as a male condom can slip off a penis. One other possible problem: It’s possible for the man to insert his penis along the outside of the condom, instead of inside it.
The first female condom was made of polyurethane, which tends to make a crinkling noise. Since then, versions have been developed out of nitrile polymer and latex—the same material that most male condoms are made out of. There’s even a panty version available (for an overview of current types, go to path.org/projects/womans_condom_gcfc2005.php).
You can buy female condoms in most pharmacies and drugstores, or online. They are a little more expensive than male condoms, which cost around $1 per condom. Female condoms cost around $3 each and you can get value packs of five or 15 at a lesser cost. They usually come with extra water-based lubricant and instructions on how to use them.
Why, you ask, is a female condom needed in the first place? Is the male condom not good enough? It is, but adding the female condom to the arsenal of ways to protect yourself against pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) gives women an alternative if their male partner either refuses or dislikes use of male condoms. And if he has erectile problems, male condoms are hard to use—but female condoms are fine.
So how effective is the female condom? A recent World Health Organization (WHO) study compared the effectiveness of female and male condoms in four countries and found that the two types of condoms have similar rates of effectiveness when it comes to preventing pregnancy and STIs. And for both varieties this is true: The more consistently they are used (ideally at every act of intercourse) the better.
Both the WHO and the United Nations are sponsoring the female condom and every year, 14 million female condoms are distributed to women in developing countries, along with six to nine billion male condoms. In the U.S., the male version still leads condom sales, but there is no doubt that the female condoms are here to stay.
Many women find it empowering that they now can take charge and protect themselves against unwanted pregnancy and STIs. And one more thing: Female condoms can be inserted prior to having sex. This way, you don’t forget it in the heat of the moment and you can relax and enjoy sex instead of worrying whether he will pull out his condom in time.
Annette Owens, MD, Ph.D., is certified by the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists. She sees clients in her Charlottesville office (cvillewellness.com) and answers questions online at LoveandHealth.info and Sexual Health.com. She has co-edited the new four-volume book, Sexual Health (Praeger).