There is a new female condom that is much easier to use, and it could be a major instrument in fighting HIV/AIDS around the world, advocates for the device contend. Supporters of the FC2, the new condom produced by the Chicago-based Female Health Co., want the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve the contraceptive next month when it is reviewed. It might resemble the older female condom, but the newer model soft, transparent sheath with flexible inner and outer rings is made from synthetic rubber rather than polyurethane, making it cheaper to produce. When the female condom was introduced a decade and a half ago, it was hailed as the only woman-initiated form of protection against disease and pregnancy. But the contraceptive method was never really marketed across the globe, and usage is miniscule. “This is a tremendous victory,” said Susie Hoffman, an assistant professor of clinical epidemiology at Columbia University who contends the female condom has suffered from misconceptions. “In the United States, there has been strong bias against it. Some people involved in AIDS and family planning would say, ‘Why do we need these? … It’s so weird that women are not going to pick it up.’ But if presented in the right way, many women do like it. To find these people and help them and train them, you need systematic programming, which costs money.” Last year, some 35 million female condoms were distributed worldwide. But when you compare it to the more than 10 billion cheaper, easier-to-use male condoms, it seems rather paltry. The female condoms are extremely important, however, say women activists, since many men refuse to wear a condom in places where HIV/AIDS rates are skyrocketing.

TAGS: FC2, female condom, hiv/aids

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