Female Condom: The ignored option for women against HIV
Apr 19, 2009
ASK anyone if they have ever seen a condom and the answer will be ‘yes’. Unfortunately, that answer only refers to a male condom. Few people, including women have seen a female condom despite its introduction as an alternative HIV/AIDS prevention meth
By Gladys Kalibbala and Irene Nabusoba
ASK anyone if they have ever seen a condom and the answer will be ‘yes’. Unfortunately, that answer only refers to a male condom. Few people, including women have seen a female condom despite its introduction as an alternative HIV/AIDS prevention method, 10 years ago.
The Government imported 1.5 million female condoms in 1999 but halted their distribution due to insufficient demand.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) is re-introducing them. However, critics say the ministry has not learnt lessons from its past mistakes, as people still hardly know anything about these condoms.
A street survey around the city confirms these fears. “What a big ugly-looking sack! Can it fit in any woman,†exclaimed one lady on seeing the condom. Similarly, a man only known as Mikaili said he would rather forfeit sex than use a female condom.
The female condom looks large and unwieldy. About 16 centimetres long, it is a polyurethane sheath that covers the vagina, cervix and external genitalia and can be inserted just before intercourse.
It has two rings; one at the bottom to hold it in place and another at the opening to direct entry of the penis.
Nonetheless, HIV/AIDS activists say millions of women might have been spared HIV and unwanted pregnancies if they had access to this simple method.
Oxfam (Britain’s leading aid charity) and the World Population Foundation, say countries have wasted many lives by ignoring this method.
Oxfam publicist,, Farah Karimi says the female condom is a poorly funded invention and has been ignored by policy makers, making it expensive, unavailable, unpopular, and user-unfriendly.
“In the last 10 years, only $6m has been spent on developing a new condom for women. In contrast, in 2006 alone, international donors spent over $1b trying to develop new HIV-prevention technologies,†Karimi says. This condom is 18 times more expensive than the male condom.
Uganda’s coordinator of the condom unit at the ministry of health, Veshta Kibirige, says government is working out ways of making the female condom available at a small cost.
The condoms cost about sh3000.
“The ministry will distribute 100,000 condoms, primarily in the eastern and central parts of Uganda.
They will be at government health centres,†Kibirigye says. She said research had revealed that women want a method that will give them control in protecting themselves from sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancy.
“We are going to embark on a sensitisation campaign to step up demand and proper use,†Kibirige adds.
Challenges
Molly Basimaki, the programme assistant, Global Coalition on Women and AIDS in Uganda, says sex workers sometimes keep female condoms inserted for several hours because they have limited time between clients to discard used condoms.
Medics say one should not keep the condom in the vagina for more than eight hours because it can cause urinary tract infections.
Besides, it could infect more men if the women do not change the female condom for different sexual encounters.
Some women have also complained that the female condom makes a lot of noise during sex.
Robert Kanwagi, who coordinates a programme on sex workers and HIV AIDS says some men refuse to have sex with women wearing the condoms because they believe the lubrication could harm their organs.
“The ministry developed a condom strategy, but it was for only men. It should enact a policy to include female condoms.
Women need these condoms. Promote them and make them accessible,†Kanwagi pleads.
Dr. Henry Kakande, the technical manager, Engender Health, says the pilot project of the female condom of the FEMIDOM type brought in the country was not well co-ordinated.
He says unlike the male condoms which are displayed in shops, workshops and the media, female condoms remain behind curtains.
Women account for nearly half of HIV infections worldwide. In sub- Saharan Africa, 75% of those infected are women.
The picture is not any different in Uganda. Could this second shot at female condoms restore hope for Uganda’s vulnerable female folk?
ASK anyone if they have ever seen a condom and the answer will be ‘yes’. Unfortunately, that answer only refers to a male condom. Few people, including women have seen a female condom despite its introduction as an alternative HIV/AIDS prevention method, 10 years ago.
The Government imported 1.5 million female condoms in 1999 but halted their distribution due to insufficient demand.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) is re-introducing them. However, critics say the ministry has not learnt lessons from its past mistakes, as people still hardly know anything about these condoms.
A street survey around the city confirms these fears. “What a big ugly-looking sack! Can it fit in any woman,†exclaimed one lady on seeing the condom. Similarly, a man only known as Mikaili said he would rather forfeit sex than use a female condom.
The female condom looks large and unwieldy. About 16 centimetres long, it is a polyurethane sheath that covers the vagina, cervix and external genitalia and can be inserted just before intercourse.
It has two rings; one at the bottom to hold it in place and another at the opening to direct entry of the penis.
Nonetheless, HIV/AIDS activists say millions of women might have been spared HIV and unwanted pregnancies if they had access to this simple method.
Oxfam (Britain’s leading aid charity) and the World Population Foundation, say countries have wasted many lives by ignoring this method.
Oxfam publicist,, Farah Karimi says the female condom is a poorly funded invention and has been ignored by policy makers, making it expensive, unavailable, unpopular, and user-unfriendly.
“In the last 10 years, only $6m has been spent on developing a new condom for women. In contrast, in 2006 alone, international donors spent over $1b trying to develop new HIV-prevention technologies,†Karimi says. This condom is 18 times more expensive than the male condom.
Uganda’s coordinator of the condom unit at the ministry of health, Veshta Kibirige, says government is working out ways of making the female condom available at a small cost.
The condoms cost about sh3000.
“The ministry will distribute 100,000 condoms, primarily in the eastern and central parts of Uganda.
They will be at government health centres,†Kibirigye says. She said research had revealed that women want a method that will give them control in protecting themselves from sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancy.
“We are going to embark on a sensitisation campaign to step up demand and proper use,†Kibirige adds.
Challenges
Molly Basimaki, the programme assistant, Global Coalition on Women and AIDS in Uganda, says sex workers sometimes keep female condoms inserted for several hours because they have limited time between clients to discard used condoms.
Medics say one should not keep the condom in the vagina for more than eight hours because it can cause urinary tract infections.
Besides, it could infect more men if the women do not change the female condom for different sexual encounters.
Some women have also complained that the female condom makes a lot of noise during sex.
Robert Kanwagi, who coordinates a programme on sex workers and HIV AIDS says some men refuse to have sex with women wearing the condoms because they believe the lubrication could harm their organs.
“The ministry developed a condom strategy, but it was for only men. It should enact a policy to include female condoms.
Women need these condoms. Promote them and make them accessible,†Kanwagi pleads.
Dr. Henry Kakande, the technical manager, Engender Health, says the pilot project of the female condom of the FEMIDOM type brought in the country was not well co-ordinated.
He says unlike the male condoms which are displayed in shops, workshops and the media, female condoms remain behind curtains.
Women account for nearly half of HIV infections worldwide. In sub- Saharan Africa, 75% of those infected are women.
The picture is not any different in Uganda. Could this second shot at female condoms restore hope for Uganda’s vulnerable female folk?