July 24, 2014 - Black AIDS Daily.
by Kali Villarosa
Whatever happened to the female condom?
Introduced to the United States in 1993, many public health experts believed this product a "game changer" in contraceptive options, the new alternative to male condom use. Like a male condom, the female condom protects women from sexually transmitted infections, and the small polyurethane pouch, inserted in the vagina prior to sexual activity, gives women an alternative if male partners refuse to wear a condom. However, the female condom did not catch on in popularity the way its creators had anticipated.
But with the introduction in 2012 of September 16th as Global Female Condom Day (GFCD), this woman-controlled contraceptive and protective product is finally making a well-deserved comeback, as communities and organizations all around the world have begun to commemorate the observance. As Kimberly Whipkey, a global advocacy specialist, explained in her panel on female condoms at AIDS 2014, "They create a concrete opportunity for youth to not just increase their knowledge about female condoms, but also create awareness about the importance of reproductive health." Continue reading…
