This year, September 16 marked Global Female Condom Day. Compared to other forms of birth control, female condoms are not widely known about, although they have many advantages. The most important aspect about female condoms is that they are the only woman-initiated birth control product that protects women from both pregnancy and STI’s. While male condoms protect against both of these conditions, a woman does not have complete control over their use as she does with a female condom.

Other benefits of female condoms include:

• They are non-hormonal for women unable to use hormonal birth control

• They are latex-free for those with latex allergies

• There are a variety of brands sold over-the-counter

• Their design allows for pleasure enhancement for men and women during intercourse

Female condoms have the potential to prevent unwanted pregnancy, especially in countries and regions where prescription birth control and other forms of women-initiated birth control, like IUDs, are not readily available. Additionally, they could be instrumental in reducing HIV/AIDS and other STI rates by giving women more control over protection during intercourse.

The first step to achieving more widespread use of the female condom is education and awareness. For more information on the female condom, click here.

Sources:

Widsom, Phylisa. “It’s Global Female Condom Day! 6 Reasons why the Female Condom is Worth Reconsidering (Hint: It’s not that Scary).”  Bustle.com. 16 September 2014. 

National Female Condom Coalition.