Right before the holidays, we blogged about the fact that Cameroun has recently become the first country in which two different types of female condoms are commercially available. Although there is only one brand that has FDA approval for female condoms in the United States, there are several other companies vying for a sliver of the market internationally. Recently we got wind of a new polyurethane female condom that seems really similar to the original female condom approved by the FDA.
This particular female condom, however, has an additional device – a foldable insertion tool, pictured above and in this Flickr photo set. This seems very much like a gimmick, as well as a tool that will continue to put distance between women and their vaginas, not unlike a tampon applicator. Also, a hard piece of plastic seems like it could definitely compromise the barrier by tearing it or putting undue stress on the polyurethane. But on the other hand – anything that might increase the acceptability and use of female condoms is probably a good thing. And anyway, gimmicks to increase the appeal of safer sex barrier devices aren’t anything new – just have a look at some of the patents for safer sex barriers that have been filed over the past thirty years.
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