Feminine Condom

The Female Condom

What is it?

It's basically a condom in reverse, worn by the woman.

Are you serious?

Completely. This is the 90s, after all.

How does it work?

The woman inserts it (up to eight hours before sex if she likes, minutes before sex if the mood suddenly strikes). It's made of polyurethane, which heats up during sex and causes the female condom to adhere to the vaginal wall, like a second skin.

Do you really expect sex to heat up with something like that going on down there?

Oh yes, say those who have used it. "For the man it's different [from a male condom] because it's not like wearing a pair of biker shorts," says Holly Sherman, the spokeswoman for the Reality Female Condom.

What about for the woman?

Many women reported added value from the outer ring of the female condom. The ring covers the clitoris, and often increases clitoral stimulation. "Though I haven't been that lucky!" laments Sherman.

But it really does look a bit like a Ziploc.

The female condom is usually compared to a rolled up, unstretched condom. Take a used, stretched-out condom, and it's hardly a big turn-on.

How effective is it?

As effective as any other barrier device. When used correctly, the estimated annual pregnancy failure rate is five percent. It also reduces the risk of STDs.

How do I use it?

The female condom is open on one end and closed at the other. It has two soft, flexible rings. The ring inside the closed end is used to insert the device and to hold it in place over the cervix. The outer ring forms the open edge and remains outside the vagina after insertion.

Advantages

The female condom can be inserted up to eight hours before sex. "It doesn't disrupt the flow of lovemaking. With the male condom, you have to work up to an erection, stop in the middle of what you're doing, jump into active duty, roll on the condom, have sex, stop in the middle of what you're doing right after sex, keep that erection, and carefully remove the condom. With the female condom, the encounter is a totally different, unbroken flow. You put it in before sex heats up ... and then, after sex is over, the erection can go down, and there is a little time for intimacy after sex, then the woman removes it before she stands up." -- Holly Sherman

The female condom is made of polyurethane, which is 40 percent stronger than the latex used in male condoms. Polyurethane also transmits heat.

In addition to lining the inside of the vagina, the female condom also covers the outside part of the vagina and the base of the penis during intercourse, reducing skin-to-skin contact. This increases protection against STDs.

Unlike male, latex condoms, it can be used with oil-based lubricants. Use your imagination.

It lets a woman have more control over her sexual health, giving her a form of contraception that prevents STDs as well as pregnancy.

There are no nerve endings in a woman's vaginal wall, thus once the female condom is in place, she cannot feel it.

Disadvantages

It's ugly. Even the Reality spokeswoman admits that "Looks bad, feels good" is the motto of the female condom.

The outer ring rests outside the vagina, thus the female condom is not really conducive to foreplay or oral sex.

It's new, and will take a little practice to insert correctly.

It's more expensive than the male condom.

True Story:

The first time I used a female condom, there was more giggling than passion. I don't think I could use it with a new partner, because it made a funny squeaking noise. Sort of like a quiet bed squeak. It's comfortable, yes. Ugly, certainly. But when it comes to contraception, I've always preferred the kind that is seen but not heard.
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