Female Condoms Are Underused in AIDS Prevention

By David Douglas

Female barrier methods, in particular, condoms, are often not considered to be a practical means of preventing HIV transmission, a Canadian researcher reports in the November/December issue of Culture, Health and Sexuality.

"The tremendous success of hormonal contraceptives, nearly 100% effective, well-tolerated by most women, extremely popular, has set the standard for sexual health products for women," author Dr. Amy Kaler told Reuters Health. "Unfortunately, when it comes to HIV prevention, no product presently available or on the horizon can meet that standard."

In her report, Dr. Kaler of the University of Alberta, Edmonton, notes that female condoms have been available since 1995. They appear to be effective against HIV and can be re-used up to 10 times. However, use is not widespread.

To help determine why, she conducted interviews with 34 health care workers in South Africa and the US who are involved in female condom programs via a variety of national health bureaucracies, research institutions and other organizations.

Most were disappointed by the lack of support from the global women's health community once the devices went beyond the early testing stage. Among other obstacles appear to be cost, availability and a connection with AIDS and disease.

In North America, Dr. Kaler suggests that these products "need to be re-positioned by association with glamour and sexiness."

She stresses that the use of female condoms and new-generation barrier methods should not be neglected. "We shouldn't let the quest for the holy grail of HIV prevention, in the form of a microbicide or a vaccine, distract us from the more humble, admittedly imperfect, but usable products which we do have, like barrier methods."

1/03/05

Cult Health Sex, 2004.