The female condom is quite similar to that used by men, with its tubular shape - plus it has two flexible rings at each end. The ring at the end of the condom hold it in place, while the ring at the open end stops it from moving up inside the vagina during intercourse. The female condom is made of polyurethane or synthetic nitrile. Newer versions are made of latex.

What are the benefits of the female condom? First of all, a woman can use the female condom if her partner refuses to use a male condom. Secondly, it provides an opportunity for women to share the responsibility for condoms with their partners. It can be inserted in advance of sexual intercourse, so you don’t have to wait for the erection as is the case with the male condom -and it doesn’t necessarily have to be removed immediately after sex. People who use this kind of protection say that it feels more like unprotected sex than with the male condom.

Complaints about the female condoms are that they can be noisy, unwieldy and look like a plastic bag.

The female condom protects against most sexually transmitted diseases (STD's) and pregnancy and it is the only female-initiated HIV prevention method presently available. Currently this product is not widely available and not widely used yet, probably because inserting the female condom is a skill that has to be learned and they are significantly more expensive than male condoms. Would you use them?

Also read:  
http://aumag.org/wordpress/?p=6355