Using Female Condoms: Important Things To Keep in Mind

Female Condoms are not really something that is mentioned all that often. However, people that do use this barrier type of birth control have found that they are highly protective and can prevent pregnancy and most types of sexual diseases.

There are several different female condoms out there; however, the one that’s approved by the FDA and thus widely available in the US is the FC2 female condom.

FC1 was the name of the first version of the female condom and FC2 is the latest and improved version. The FC2 promises a better and more improved female condom experience.

This condom is 164-184mm long and has a width of 76-83mm. That’s wider than male condoms so it brings one major advantage of female condoms – guys who are larger or smaller than average don’t have to worry if the female condom will fit them. They are wide enough to accept nearly all penis sizes.

So how does a female condom work?

Well there are two ends to the condom. The first is the closed end which is inserted into the vagina. The open end sits on the outside of the vagina and covers the part of the genitals. The closed end acts as protection and stops sperm from getting anywhere near the egg and fertilizing it.

Insertion of the condom isn’t too difficult. You simply place the ‘closed’ end into the vagina and make sure it stays there. The ring on the outside should help hold it in place. This ring then acts as a guide for the male to penetrate the female.

The inside of the condom is lubricated and thus offers real sexual pleasure. Many people find that they do need to use additional lubrication; however, it is worth noting that a female condom does not contain spermicide.

Materials

There are three main materials that are commonly used for female condoms. The first is ‘Nitrile’, a synthetic latex, the second one is Polyurethane and the third one is latex. The sheath of the FC1 female condom was made of polyurethane while the sheath of the FC2 version is made of nitrile. Nitrile is said to have lower manufacturing costs which might be one of the reasons for the change.

Cupid™ is one example of a female condom that is made out of latex. What you should be aware of is the fact that latex female condoms are not fully approved by the FDA so not yet available in the US. Recent trials however have indicated that approval is going to arrive soon and that it is a highly effective form of protection.

Using Female condoms with other types of protection and failure rates

Some females may wish to use female condoms in conjunction with other methods of birth control, to begin with. This is because the ‘insertion’ of the condom is a particular foreign process for most people.

The failure rate of a female condom is considerably higher than a male condom [1], however, this is mainly down to the fact that most people are unaware about how to insert them correctly.

Final Words

Female Condoms are one of the only types of protection that can be used by a female without visiting a clinic or taking drugs. It is still a surprise that this type of condom hasn’t gained more popularity with women that want to practice safe sex but do not wish to rely on their partners to remember to bring a condom.

Wanna give female condoms a try? You can order them online here or here!

References:

1. http://americanpregnancy.org/preventing-pregnancy/female-condom/
Further read:
1. https://fc2femalecondom.com/
2. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/pdf8/p080002b.pdf
3. https://www.rhsupplies.org/fileadm



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