HIV Prevention strategies

[Peeters Fongeh]

The female condom is a thin pouch that a woman can insert in her vagina before sex to prevent pregnancy and  sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. It is the only proven, female-initiated method of HIV prevention currently on the market.  Many women find that their ability to negotiate safer sex with a male partner is enhanced by having access to female condoms because it enables a woman to say, “If you don’t want to use your condom, I will use mine.”  Some couples prefer the female condom to the male condom because it is not constricting, it transfers body heat, and the external ring may provide increased stimulation.  Female condoms can be used vaginally or anally. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), however, have only approved them for vaginal use, not for anal use.