Barrier methods of family planning 191
Condom for Women
(female condom)
Condoms for women also prevent
HIV and other STIs from passing from
one person to another.
You may prefer a different method if:
• you have limited hand movement.
• you cannot reach your vagina.
• you cannot open your legs very wide.
• you get muscle spasms in your upper legs
The condom for women fits into the vagina and covers
the outer lips of the genitals (vulva). It protects against both
pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, and against
HIV/AIDS. Unfortunately, the female condom is more
expensive and harder to get than the male condom. The female
condom should not be used with the condom for men. It
works best when the man is on top and the woman is on the
bottom during sex.
How to use the female condom:
1. Carefully open the
packet without
tearing the
condom.
3. Squeeze the inner
ring together.
4. Put the inner ring
in the vagina.
2. Find the inner ring,
which is at the
closed end of the
condom.
Outer ring
5. Push the inner ring up into
your vagina with your finger.
The outer ring
stays outside
the vagina.
6. When
you have
sex, guide
the penis
through the
outer ring.
7. Remove the female condom immediately
after the man’s penis leaves your body,
before you stand up. Squeeze and twist
the outer ring to keep the man’s semen
inside the pouch. Pull the pouch out
gently, and then dispose of it out of
reach of children and animals. Either put
it into a pit latrine, or bury it.
A Health Handbook for Women with Disabilities 2007