D.C. Launches a Female Condom Campaign

The Washington AIDS Partnership launched their "DC Doin' It!" campaign last week to promote female condoms as a way to combat the spread of HIV. D.C. has one of the highest rates of the AIDS virus in the United States; approximately 3% of all D.C. citizens over the age of 12 are diagnosed with HIV or AIDS. The MAC AIDS fund gave the WAP and District Department of Health $500,000 to distribute the new condoms for free.

So far the community has taken positively to the new contraception. The female condom is designed to make sex more pleasurable for both men and women. Those organizing the movement hope that by trying the new condom, couples will initiate more intimate discussions on sex and their relationships.

The condom is made of a synthetic material called nitrile that many women claim is more comfortable than the latex of other condoms. The product is easy to insert and FDA approved. The current product is actually an updated version and is vastly improved from the original. It is cheaper and not noisy like the prototype, making it more appealing to audiences. Now the trick is just getting people to try them!

Organizers will be giving demonstrations on how to properly use the female condom in local venues across D.C. The Washington AIDS Partnership hopes to assuage some of the public's concerns about the new product by providing access to and education about the condom. The female version is equally as effective as the male condom at preventing pregnancy and more effective at preventing the spread of STDs due to its increased surface coverage.

CVS has promised to sell the condoms at an affordable, accessible price once the free distribution campaign is finished. Customers will be able to buy packs of 3 for $6.49 at all CVS locations in the city.

So what do you think? Chicago is promoting its own Female Condom Campaign and we encourage you to try the new product! Please let us know your thoughts about this innovative contraceptive.

To get involved locally visit ringonit.org--We're participating in Chicago's Female Condom Campaign and now you can too!

Technorati tags: female condom, HIV/AIDS