Quick Facts
Effectiveness in Preventing Pregnancy
- About 20 women out of 100 using this method for one year will get pregnant.
Use
- Place inside vagina before any sexual contact occurs (up to eight hours before).
- Twist outer ring and remove carefully after sex.
- Use a new female condom each time you have sex.
STI Protection
- May provide some protection against STIs with vaginal sex.
Clinic Visit Required
- No
How do I use it?
The female condom prevents sperm from entering a woman's body. The condom is a pouch with a soft ring on each end, one end fits inside the vagina to keep the female condom in place and the other end stays outside the vagina.
- Squeeze the inner ring of the condom. Put the inner ring and pouch inside the vagina.
- You can insert a female condom several hours before you have sex.
- After sex, twist the outer ring and carefully remove the condom.
- Use a new female condom each time you have sex.
- Don't use a female and male condom at the same time, as this may cause both condoms to break or tear.
Advantages of the female condom
- You don't need a prescription to buy female condoms.
- Female condoms are safe and effective to use.
- You may insert female condoms up to eight hours before having sex.
- Female condoms are a good choice if you do not use a male condom.
- Female condoms may provide some protection against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) during vaginal sex.
Drawbacks of the female condom
- It isn't known exactly how well female condoms may protect against STIs
- Some people experience skin irritation with female condoms.
- Female condoms are usually more expensive than male condoms.
- A female partner has to agree to use female condoms.
