Female Condoms, A Great Contraceptive Choice for Indian Youth

Highlights

The female condom is a birth control (contraceptive) device.

It is inserted vaginally to reduce the risk of both pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

However, it is also an under-utilized one.

Women’s control over the wearing of the female condom reduces their stress and allows them to enjoy the experience.

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For the uninitiated, a female condom is among the various available contraceptive barrier methods available. However it is also the under-utilized one. The female condom — also called an internal condom — is a birth control (contraceptive) device that acts as a barrier to keep sperm from entering the uterus. It is a highly effective contraceptive method that can be inserted vaginally to reduce the risk of both pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

One of the most commonly reported worries about pregnancy and STI concerns often prevent people from fully enjoying sexual pleasure. Also most men and women have seen the female condom before, or heard of it.

Female condoms are not as popular as male condoms, which could be due to the lack of availability, higher price, and/or preference. Female condoms are not generally available in grocery stores, drug stores, or in vending machines. Their sale is usually limited to specialty stores, some pharmacies and reproductive health centers, or online retailers.

How do u insert a female condom?

A female condom is inserted in the vagina. Find yourself, a comfortable position. While holding outside of condom at closed end, squeeze sides of inner ring together with your thumb and forefinger Insert the ring as high as possible into your vaginal canal. It’s similar to inserting a menstrual cup or tampon. Use your finger to ensure that the condom is deep inside of your vagina. Using your finger, push inner ring as far up till it rests against cervix. The rim of the condom opening should rest just outside of the vaginal opening.This can be inserted for upto 8 hours before having sex.

A study was done to explore the views of Indian women and men who participated in a brief intervention using the female condom on their experiences in relation to sexual pleasure, sexual satisfaction, and their overall acceptability.

Here are a few pros and cons listed below from the study’s findings about use of female condoms based on the feedback of trial group.

Advantages

Women feel empowered, as they do not need to wait for male partners to provide protection or to negotiate wearing a condom

Its ability to reduce the risk of a range of STIs due to the coverage offered both inside and outside of the vagina and on parts of the vulva

The ability to discard the barrier method and prevent contact with male ejaculate, for hygienic reasons and ease of clean up helped them enjoy sex with their partners especially for sex workers.

Female condom can increase pleasure through alleviating stress related to the risks of pregnancy or STI transmission.

Some men enjoy how the female condom prolonged sex due to the use of a barrier method, which increases their pleasure.

Female condoms they can be used with all types of lubricants. Test for latex allergy, however.

Disadvantages

The limited literature focused on the acceptability of female condoms in India has not addressed sexual pleasure. Discussions of sexual pleasure in relation to the female condom are less common.

When female condoms are introduced in traditionally patriarchal cultures, price is generally reported as a concern, as well as the lack of trust if women are the ones to introduce it to their partner.

Insertion of the female condom can be a challenging part of the experience for most participants.

The barrier and thickness of the material may reduce sensation (which for some may be a drawback, for others it’s beneficial by prolonging sex) but the design enhances sensation by allowing for more movement of the female condom on the penis compared to the male condom.

Some users reported that their partner could feel the inner ring and this caused friction, which caused pain or discomfort for some

Due to the firmer material of the ring, male partners can feel occasional discomfort in rubbing against it during penetration.

Since partners cannot always be trusted to use a male condom (e.g. because of intoxication, wanting full sensation, and not having a male condom available), women’s control over the wearing of the female condom reduces their stress and allows them to enjoy the experience. This can be the greatest factor for using a female condom as a contraceptive choice. With some practice, insertion can be perfected.

In India, female condoms an be bought online through Amazon or Flipkart.

Have you ever tried a female condom? Tell us your experience here.

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It has far been oversimplified, the sexual bifurcation of people, with women being the focal point of all socio-cultural narrative in a traditional culture, especially in the Indian context. One of them is whether she is a virgin or a non-virgin. An act of sex that probably lasts for not more than five minutes can have a moral impact on a girl. ‘Losing’ virginity by a woman is often considered the point of womanly maturity irrespective of her intellectual growth or emotional evolution. Conventionally, virginity is considered sacred and has been a problematic tool to evaluate a woman’s morality. Naturally, it begs for a deeper social, cultural and scientific investigation.

A Common understanding of Virginity- the Hymen

It is commonly believed that ‘all women’ are born with a skin membrane in the genitals called hymen which breaks at the first intercourse resulting in blood oozing out of the vagina marking the end of virginity in a girl. The blood, therefore, is considered the ultimate testimony of virginity. Before we even begin to demystify this belief construct, it is remarkable to notice how virginity has often only been associated with women. However, while we are at it, there is no given method or practice to test the virginity of a man.

Not all women are born with a hymen

No, not all girls are born with a hymen. On the other hand, those born with one are prone to have their hymen worn off as they grow older. Therefore the presence of hymen does not indicate that the woman is a virgin. Talking about the hymen, Dr Nina Dolvik Brochman in her Ted Talk says, “The hymen has been used as a powerful tool in the effort to control women’s sexuality in about every culture, religion and historical decade.”

Heterosexuality and Homosexuality

As per the belief passed down from thousands of years, breaking virginity is a state of having intercourse among heterosexual people. It begs to question the inclusion of intimacy among couples with different sexual orientations. In that case, are all homosexual couples virgins? By the hetero-normative equation, all other forms of intimacy like oral sex, masturbation, intimacy among same-sex partners means nothing. Therefore, it can be argued that virginity is simply a false idea perpetuated to control a woman’s sexuality.

Commonly used terminologies

Some of the commonly used terminologies like ‘deflowering a girl’, ‘popping the cherry’, ‘red spot on a white bed sheet’ are used to indicate the breaking of a woman’s virginity. In many traditions, newly wedded brides are expected to bleed on their first night to prove their purity. There have been cases of assault on women if they fail to bleed on their first night. Often, there are no qualms about calling a woman, ‘damaged goods’ who have had sex in the past. This goes on to show how women and her sexuality have been commoditized as something that exists only to either please men or bear children.

In conclusion, the widely propagated idea that for a girl to prove she is good, all that is considered is whether or not has she had sex. Indisputably, such beliefs and practices deny women an identity that has to invariably do with her achievements, hard work and intellect.