Contraception: the female condom
The female condom has been available in the US, the UK and parts of Europe since the early 1990s. In the year 2000, FPA Health introduced the female condom to women in Australia for the first time.
The female condom has been widely studied and results show that it is effective as a contraceptive method and as a barrier to sexually transmitted infections.
The female condom gives women increased access to safe and effective means of fertility control as well as increased options for the prevention of sexually transmissible infections, including HIV.
Because of economic, social and gender inequalities, women have not always been able to get their partners to use male condoms. In addition women, once engaged in a sexual situation, may have less power than men to say no to unsafe sex. They may have difficulty initiating discussion about condom use, may fear loss of a relationship, economic abandonment or domestic violence resulting from a request for condom use. Therefore, negotiating consistent condom use has not always been feasible for many women.
Although the female condom requires some degree of partner co-operation, its use is controlled by the woman. The primary purpose for developing and marketing the female condom has been to provide women with a method that does not require partner initiative, yet still protects against sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. While women’s options regarding safe sex have been quite limited, expanding the range of women’s prevention options may substantially improve their chances of avoiding a sexually transmitted infection and unintended pregnancies.
Further information can be obtained from the FPA Healthline on 1300 658 886.
Last Reviewed: 01 May 2002
