Female Condoms

Up until now, when I’ve talked about condoms, I’ve been referring to the male condom, which is the more mainstream type of condom. But there’s actually another type. I bet you can’t guess what these ones are called.

That’s right, the female condom. Here’s an example of a fairly popular one: the fc female condom.

Like male condoms, female condoms are a fairly effective form of birth control, but they’re not quite as effective as male condoms. If used every time you have sex, male condoms are effective 97% of the time, but female condoms are only effective about 95% of the time. Female condoms are more expensive, too. There are some advantages, though. For one thing, all female condoms are made of polyurethane, which means they’re more comfortable than latex and you (most likely) don’t have to worry about an allergy. Also, because they line the vagina instead of going around the penis, they provide a looser fit that a lot of people say makes it feel more natural. I’ve never had sex without a condom, so I can’t make that comparison, but I trust that those people are right.

The biggest advantage to female condoms, though, is that they give women the sense of control that male condoms don’t. A lot of times, especially in college, sex can be a spontaneous thing. You might not think you’re going to be spending Friday night with someone else, but then you go out partying and sure enough, you end up having sex. Believe me, I know what that’s like. So it’s always best to be prepared. A female condom can be inserted up to eight hours before having sex and still be effective. So if you think you’re going to be “getting lucky”, you can make sure that that luck doesn’t turn sour and prepare in advance by putting in a female condom. Plus, I think it gives a sense of empowerment that you don’t have to rely on the guy to put on a condom. Because I’m sure a lot of you girls know that guys aren’t the most reliable, and they forget (or more likely “forget”) things like that all the time.

I think that’s just about all I can think of to say about female condoms. As always, if you’ve got any questions, feel free to ask them.