The femidom is colloquially called “female condom” or “female condom”. Yet the name of the contraceptive already suggests what exactly it is – a femidom is very similar to a condom, but is not put over the penis of the man, but inserted into the vagina of the woman.
What is a femidom?
This version of a femidom from the early 19th century bears little comparison to today’s versions, which are soft and flexible. The femidom, as mentioned at the beginning, is also called a “female condom” or a “female condom”. The reason is that the development of the femidom was based on the condom. This is because the contraceptive for women, which was introduced and launched on the market in 1990, is a wafer-thin plastic tube that is inserted into the vagina before sexual intercourse. Thus, similar to the condom, the femidom protects against unwanted pregnancy, among other things, but also against STIs.
Forms, types and types
In most cases, the femidom comes in a tubular unit shape that is quite flexible. As a result, the diameter of the femidom adjusts to the width of the vagina. Different femidoms are available in length, but most are between 15 and 18 centimeters long and can be completely or partially unrolled. In addition to femidoms made of plastic (polyethylene), there are also femidoms made of latex and various special forms. For example, there are femidoms that do not end in an upper ring, but in a sponge. Furthermore, there are femidomes that are supposed to protect against sexual intercourse and rape by means of small hooks. Often these are added rigid and “hook” on the offender.
Structure, function and mode of action
A femidom is a plastic or latex tube up to 18 centimeters long, consisting of one ring at the beginning and one at the end. When used correctly, the two rings are positioned once in front of the entrance to the vagina, outside of it, and inside in front of the cervix. Since the cervix is very sensitive, the femidom should only be unrolled as far as necessary – to the extent that the partner can move the penis in the vagina largely unrestricted during the sexual act, but without the upper ring of the femidom permanently bumping against the cervix of the uterus. The femidom is very soft and flexible and thus adapts to the length and width of the vagina. In its use, the femidom is similar to a diaphragm, because it is unrolled and finally inserted as far as possible into the vagina. Here, however, it acts similarly to a condom in that it prevents direct contact of the penis and body fluids between the two partners. This reduces the risk of contracting STDs and unwanted pregnancy.
Medical and health benefits
When used correctly, the femidom not only protects against unwanted pregnancy, but also against the transmission of STDs. The best example of this is the HI virus, but also all other diseases that can be transmitted through the mucous membranes. Incidentally, the Pearl Index of the femidom is around 5 to 25, which means that statistics show that around 5 to 25 out of 100 women surveyed who have demonstrably used contraception with the femidom for a year still became pregnant. As a direct comparison, the Pearl Index of a male condom is 2 to 12. The reason why the Pearl Index of the femidom is somewhat worse is the increased risk of using it incorrectly. This is because you may have to practice a bit, especially when it comes to the accuracy of fit and correct application. However, the femidom also has a lot of advantages. Compared to other contraceptives for women, such as the pill or the diaphragm, it not only protects against pregnancy, but also against the transmission of diseases. Compared to a condom, the femidom performs better in terms of sensation and flexibility. For one thing, it is not dependent on the stiffness of the penis, and for another, it can be inserted hours before the actual sexual act.
