The Female Condom Redesigned

The female condom is one of those things in life that you know exists;  you know you’ve heard about it on the news at one time or another, but you don’t know anybody who has ever seen one, let alone actually used one. If you stepped on one in the street, you might kick at it and think, “What a strange Ziploc bag.” Despite a lack of enthusiasm from the United States market, the female condom has had minimal success in developing nations, including South Africa and Brazil. It did not, however, achieve its ultimate goal of women empowerment which would, in turn, help cease the spread of AIDS.

Every year, billions of male condoms are delivered and distributed in developing nations, compared to only 12 million female condoms. Most female condoms in these countries are used by those in the sex trade which is a step in the right direction, albeit a much smaller step than expected. Many couples who have experienced sex with a female condom have criticized its design, calling it awkward and noisy.

In the fifteen years since the female condom was first introduced, its design has not altered much. The original female condom resembles a male condom except it has flexible rings on either end. The woman would squeeze the ring on the sealed end to narrow it making it easier to use. It would get pushed in as far as it could go and the other anchoring ring would be stationary. Recently, a nonprofit organization named PATH has taken the initiative to redesign the female condom in order to make it easier to use.

A few enhancements have been made to the new female condom to make it more appealing to the masses. The redesigned condom will now be easier for women to use. The previous design required the woman to squeeze the stiff ring to insert; the new design is fitted to be tampon-shaped making insertion much easier. The new condom was also designed with thinner polyurethane for a more natural feel. Finally, instead of the condom moving and shifting during sex, the new design adds a gentle adhesive which helps the condom stick, and restricts unnecessary shifting of the condom during intercourse. Testers of these new female condoms were pleased with the user-friendliness and the feel of the condoms during intercourse.

The new condom has come upon a roadblock in its quest to reshape the world’s idea of female condoms. PATH will first need to get approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in order for these condoms to get marketed and sold in the US. However, once approved, the FDA will categorize these female condoms not with male condoms, but with pacemakers and heart valves. The FDA’s reasoning for this is that there have not been enough clinical tests performed on female condoms to guarantee that these condoms will prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, specifically AIDS. This is where PATH meets a financial roadblock. Clinical tests cost anywhere from 3 to 6 million and PATH cannot find an organization to help with the costs of performing these tests. Once a donor is found to help with these costs, PATH will face yet another barrier. Female condoms are pricier than their male counterparts making them a less attractive alternative, especially in poorer countries. Roadblocks or not, PATH is committed to creating and marketing this new alternative in the pursuit of helping to stop the AIDS epidemic.