| Product: |
Female Condom |
| Date: |
27/04/08 (551 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: barrier method of contraception helping prevent STI's and pregnancy
Disadvantages: expensive, uncomfortable, difficult to insert, noisy, unnattractive
The Femidom
In theory the idea of a female condom is a great one in that it enables the woman to take control of the contraception using a barrier method to help prevent sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancy. Unfortunately, that is not the whole story and therefore I deem these things as utterly rubbish!
A lot of men hate condoms, they reduce sensitivity, rub where you don't want to be rubber, smell disgusting, are slimy to put on and take off, aren't very romantic and are just generally a pain to have to worry about. However being the only barrier method of contraception for males they often have to put up with them for sensible reasons. I have always been aware of femidoms but never really paid much attention to them as they aren't particularly well advertised and are not stocked in shops anywhere near as much as male condoms are.
After a day of fabulous sex I became fed up with the dramatic "YUCK" noise that my boyfriend was making every time he had to put a condom on or take it off. I suggested we tried female condoms instead. So intrigued by the idea we went to the large Boots store in Brighton which appears to be one of the few places that sells them and brought a pack of three which costs £4.79. So at around £1.60 per femidom these work out pretty expensive compared to the male latex condoms. They can also be purchased in some chemists but are probably easier to get hold of online.
The femidoms themselves come in individually wrapped sachets. They are made of polyurethane which is thinner and feels different to latex. It does mean that they are suitable for those allergic to or uncomfortable with latex condoms. When we opened the packet we were quite shocked as it vaguely resembles a long sandwich bag and looks very unappealing!! They are 6.5 inches long and have a sealed end and a wider open end. Inside the sealed end is a flexible ring which is what holds the femidom open inside of you and is used to aid insertion. The femidom's are lubricated and are see-though in appearance.
Insertion
Instructions for insertion imply that it is a fairly simple process! You need to pinch the ring in the sealed end together so that it looks like a figure of eight. You then hold it tight and push it as far up inside you as you can. As you let go, the ring springs open to hold the femidom open inside of you. The open end of the femidom remains outside of your body and the male needs to ensure that during penetration he goes in this outer ring. The best positions for insertion are either laying on your back, standing with one leg raised on a chair or squatting down (both highly unromantic!).
My first issue was with the appearance of the femidom as it made me think of a tesco's carrier bag!! It does not look at all appealing but I suppose it doesn't really need to. Insertion is a bit of a nightmare. Firstly because it is a very undignified process, secondly because the ring which you need to pinch together in a figure of 8 to insert it is covered in lubricant and slips out of your fingers! It is really hard to pinch it together properly and once you do, you then need to do various forms of gymnastics in order to insert the thing!! Technically you could get your bloke to insert it for you but this really doesn't do a lot for the romantic mood!
After the ordeal of getting it in (assuming you have managed) you need to make sure the flexible ring end is in far enough (in a sort of hooked behind your cervix type position) as if it isn't in properly then it will be painful and uncomfortable. Without being too graphic - you can kind of poke it around once its in but once the ring as opened up its hard to move it! It does say on the packet that if its not in properly you can remove it and try again. (by which time your bloke has probably gone off to make a cup of tea!)
Use
If you have managed to get this far in the process, you are ready to get on with the action (finally!). No real complicated instructions here - just that the male needs to ensure that he penetrates inside the femidom not around the edge of it otherwise the whole thing was a waste of time! Personally I didn't feel the femidom during sex at all and this was the only time that I wasn't muttering abuse at it - however my boyfriend felt very differently!! He hated it saying that he could feel the ring at the end and that it was horrible! He didn't like it and before any deeds were done he withdrew, pulled the femidom out and asked for a male condom!
The information leaflet recommends that the femidom is removed by twisting the end outside the body (preventing all those lovely sperms flowing out!) and then pulling it out slowly.
So to summarise, using the femidom was not a positive experience! We tried using them twice more but with the same result and have abandoned the idea. I do think that they are potentially a good idea but the positives are greatly outweighed by the negatives.
Other Information
The femidom is lubricated both inside and out and you can also use additional water based or oil based lubricants with them.
Femidoms should not be disposed of by flushing them down the toilet as they will either block your toilet or come back to visit a while later which could be highly embarrassing. Therefore they need to be disposed of in the rubbish bin.
It is also important that you do not use male and female condoms together as the friction caused can result in them breaking and becoming ineffective.
During use if the femidom outer ring slips inside you need to stop and pull it out as it should lay flat on the outside of the womans body at all times.
The femidoms generally come in packs of three but can be purchased in packs of thirty online.
Advantages
Made from polyurethane meaning that it is suitable for those allergic to latex and is also a thinner material which some prefer.
Allows the woman to take control of the contraception.
Is a barrier method which helps prevent all those nasty little sexually transmitted infections as well as unwanted pregnancy.
They are 95% effective at preventing pregnancy.
They are lubricated both inside and out.
They can be obtained free of charge at some sexual health clinics.
They don't require an erect penis! Male condoms require an erect penis whereas these femidoms can be inserted before anyone gets excited. In fact you can actually insert them up to eight hours before sex (although why you would want to do this is beyond me!)
They can be beneficial for men who find it difficult to maintain an erection as if these men use male condoms they can slip off or leak semen if they lose their erection.
Does not need to be removed straight away after use - you can take it out a few minutes later.
They dont actually smell too bad!
Unlike latex condoms you can use oil based lubricants with these.
They can be used when you are on your period and help prevent any yucky mess!
Research has shown that their use can help prevent cervical cancer.
Disadvantages
Can be difficult to insert.
Insertion process is pretty undignified and cant really be disguised as foreplay!
They do not look attractive.
They are very expensive at nearly £2 per femidom and are much more expensive than male latex condoms.
The success rate is 95% which is lower than the male condom which is 99%..
The polyurethane ring in the end can be uncomfortable for both the male and female. Whilst it can be tucked behind the cervix to keep it out the way this isn't helpful if your man is well endowed!
It requires a bit of target practise on the mans part as you need to ensure you penetrate in the right place!
Only one use per femidom.
Not widely available due to minimal publicity.
Not a practical size to keep in your wallet or handbag.
Not all sexual health clinics give them out free of charge.
Whilst using them you often get air pockets resulting in some rather unattractive yet strangely amusing noises during sex.
Conclusion
I did not like these and I think my boyfriend hated them even more than I did! They are the sort of thing that would be really good if they weren't a nightmare to put in, uncomfortable to use and expensive! They didn't feel particularly pleasurable and we certainly wouldn't bother trying to use them again. I suppose that the fact that they are still being manufactured means that they must work well for some people but I am yet to hear from someone who thinks they are great! We stuck to male condoms for a while before moving to relying solely on the contraceptive pill which has been by far the most pleasant method of contraception. So unfortunately this is a product that I cannot really recommend, however if you fancy trying something different to see if it works for you then at least the pack of three makes it easy to give them ago without ending up with hundreds that you don't want!
Overall Ratings
Attractiveness 1/10
Ease of insertion 3/10
Comfort (for male) 1/10
Comfort (for female) 5/10
Enjoyment 0/10
Ease of Removal 9/10
Effectiveness 8/10
Price 3/10
Summary: nasty!
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