Ok, the recent posts about HIV, Chick et all, and the link to the UCSF aids site got me thinking about the female condom. I’ve seen them, but never used one and I wondered which dopers had. Specifically:
I’ve never used one, but we saw one in my bio lab when discussing contraceptives (on a side note, I’d like to know why I have had a lecture on sex/STDs/contraceptives in at least one class every single year from 5th grade on?). The problem I can see with them is that they are huge! It seems that any outward thrust would pull the condom out with it, and you would have to re-insert it. Anyone else care to comment?
Cessandra
My Homepage
The RHPS: Website For Virgins
Both Updated More Often Than This Sig
I believe they figured a guy’s condom has to fit in a wallet.
With a woman you’ve got a whole purse, so they want to take full advantage of it and give you more bang for the buck.
I’ve used them a few times but the main downside is cost, men’s are cheaper by a long shot. Also the insertion is a bit complicated and embarassing, a bit of a mood killer. The reason it doesn’t come out (and is so large) is that it’s essentially two rubber rings connected by a latex sheath. One of the rings is covered, the one that goes inside the vagina, obviously. The other one is open, obviously again. Anyways, to insert it you have to sorta fold up the closed end, squish some lube on it, and insert it. It springs open once it’s on the inside and you sorta have to collapse it again to get it out. Comfort wise, it’s pretty undetectable once it’s in, and some women claim to get a little extra excitement from the outer ring rubbing against their labia and such. I believe the brand name of the only brand I know of is “Reality”. I don’t know who makes it but they may have a website that might be more informative.
The best description of a female condom that I’ve heard: “It looks like a raincoat for a slinky.”
“Happiness is nonetheless true happiness because it must come to an end, nor do thought and love lose their value because they are not everlasting.”
Any women interested in conducting some research on behalf of the Straight Dope in search of a thorough report on this issue may contact me to arrange a time and location for experiments.
Videos will be sent to MC for further study and assurance that Scientific Method was followed properly.
omniscient,
You should just know…oh forget it.
vixen, my understanding is that you can insert one a lot earlier than the male kind to avoid that interuption, how did your partner feel about it?
Hmmmmmmmmm???
I think I read somewhere they’re NOISY (as in lube-coated latex getting sloshed around. I know sex with male condoms is like taking a shower with a raincoat on (at least for me - my wife says it feels “plastic-ey”), but how is it with the female condom?
“The world ends when I die. And as far as I’m concerned, the rest of the universe might as well call it a day too.” – Matt Groening
Weeeeeeeel. Sure you could insert it for use at a later time, but I can’t imagine why you would. I mean, half of it is dangling outside the body so it’s not like a Today sponge that you stick in and forget about for 24 hours. The insertion embarassment factor is no more than for a men’s condom really, I mean we were sort of entering into it in a spirit of adventure 
… It never occured to me to ask him how it felt to him, but I know he liked it better than when he was wearing the condom…If you’re really curious, just go out and buy a pack and try them. It’s not like a major investment or anything, around $8 if I remember correctly.
I found the website for you, and get a load of who the company’s spokeswoman is! LOL!
http://www.femalehealth.com/
Yes, she’s just the person who comes to mind when I think of female condoms!!
Anything for a buck, I guess.
Who’s their spokeswoman?
All I saw on that page was a male and a female model in bed together.
Woops, never mind. Just noticed the link to “our spokesperson, Drew Barrymore”. I’ll go sit in a corner now.
sit in a corner and what??
The woman in the photo is Linda Fiorentino, she’s big in the crappy, yet high budget erotic thriller genre. I don’t think shes attractive at all, but she was the lead in Jade and another skin flick with Peter Berg.
Weeeeeeeeel, blushing, I don’t have a partner at the moment, tha’s why don’t just run out and try one.
As far as Drew Barrymore goes, I guess I’m just too unhip (see above), but I’m unfamiliar with why it’s any big deal that she’s a spokesperson for condoms, maybe someone can enlighten me,
thanks, Larry