Hi, I'm Dr. Lindsey Doe, clinical sexologist and host of this sex curious show, Sexplanations.  This episode is sponsored by adamandeve.com, a online sex toy store that so many of you have told me you're using to enhance your sex lives.   High five!  Many of you have also told me you're curious about female condoms, so what's a female condom and how does it work?

(Intro)

Female condoms are what I prefer to call in condoms are a way to protect yourself and your partners during some kinds of sex.  I got this one from a health clinic.  You can also get them online, at pharmacies, campus health centers, and from the company itself.  You're looking for female condoms or FC2, female condom 2nd generation, it's the one that's FDA approved.

When you get it, check the expiration date on the inside between the folds.  You'll see a manufacturer's date and then an expiration date.  The second one is going to tell you whether or not it's still good.  Then, with clean hands, open the package and pull out the condom.  Heavily coated with silicone-based lubricant on the inside and out, which makes it easier to slide into a vagina or anus and then slide a penis, phallus, finger, compatible sex toy, et cetera, into it.  

Note: low quality silicone toys and silicone-based lube that's on the condom may damage each other so test a small area to make sure that they don't gum each other up when they touch.  Okay, so the ring on the inside is designed to keep the condom in place inside of a vagina.  We'll get to anal in a minute.  Because it's slippery, I like to twist it into a figure eight to get a better grip.  You don't want to twist the whole bag, though.

Slide it into the vaginal opening, pushing the ring and pouch in as much as you can until the ring on the outside is flat against the vulva.  Some people worry that this shape may make their vaginas into a gaping bag, but that's not how it works.  The internal ring opens up around the cervix to hold it in place and then the rest of the vaginal tissue tightens around the condom so that the vagina is just like a vagina, except that there's this soft protective barrier lining it.  

Object of insertion, make sure that it goes into the condom, not on the outside between the vagina and the condom, press slowly and then do the sex.

Not for everyone, but still definitely cool.  You can put it in up to eight hours before you have sex, so you don't have to worry about forgetting protection, losing it, or getting it situated in the moment.  It's made out of nitrile, a synthetic latex so that you can use it with all different kinds of lubes and you don't have to worry about natural latex allergies and like I said, the external ring covers more of the vulva, so there's extra material to guard against sexually transmitted infections like HPV and herpes which can be passed from skin to skin contact.

If you get it just right, the ring can also stimulate the clitoris, and when you're done, it's so easy to clean up.  Just twist the ring on the outside, gently pull it out, and put it in the trash.  In condoms are a one-time-use product.  If used correctly once, they're 79-95% effective.  That means 5 to 21 out of 100 people who use them as their primary form of birth control will become pregnant each year.  Not great, but awesome as an option, especially if you pair it with other methods like withdrawal and hormones and tracking ovulation.

Not on condoms.  I would not use male condoms and female condoms or on condoms and in condoms at the same time because they can cause each other to tear, but still great on their own for pregnancy prevention and the many other reasons that in condoms are beneficial.  They reduce the risk of STIs, lower friction, hinder blood from coming out during period sex, and they generally make all penetration feel better for all parties, like for anal play.

You can leave the ring in for a fun sensation, or take it out, then put the condom on the phallus, penis, toy, et cetera, and using the lube that's evenly and thoroughly already there, slide into the anus smoothly.  The anus tears less if there's lube added to it, but sometimes lube doesn't get applied completely and there's this notable dry spot.  With in condoms, they're wet.  You can also add more lube and the you have this wide base so that the condom doesn't get sucked up into the rectum, and there's more versatility than an on condom.  You can play with beads and plugs and prostate massagers that aren't compatible with a roll-on condom.  Great for people with foreskin.

But Lindsey, you say, doesn't that make noise when it's up against the body and you're all (clapping sounds).  It can.  I just make more of my own noise, or remind myself that that's the sound of not getting pregnant or getting an STI.  

Okay, so how much do they cost?  I plan on spending $2-3 but seriously, please invest in a box of them so that you have a bunch to try out before you decide, oh yeah, I can work with that, or eh, not for me.  Whoa, that's way more than other condoms!  Yeah, but it's still an affordable option for instantly effective contraception that doesn't require anyone to have an erection to use, doesn't constrict anyone's body, accommodates a lot of different shapes and sizes, empowers receptive partners, works with vaginal and anal sex, covers more surface area reducing STI transmission in multiple ways, and feels great.  

Why am I only hearing about in condoms now?  I love them, but they haven't been around this long and there hasn't been a lot of education around them, so when people see them, they often make fun of them, which keeps the demand low and means that most stores aren't selling them.  They also have a higher failure rate, and for vaginal play, they entail putting something in the vagina, which isn't comfortable for everyone.

I've discussed them over the years on Sexplanations but I'm extra excited about them now for two reasons.  One, many of you can get them for free.  If you get a prescription for them online or from your provider, some insurance companies will cover the cost of in condoms, so they're free, and two, when I was interviewing Sky in Nevada, she told me that her favorite form of protection is in condoms.  Good stuff.  Stay curious.

Yay, you stayed until the end of the video.  Adamandeve.com partnered with me to sexplain in condoms and they have a special deal for you that you can use again and again and again and again.  Let's say you want something body safe, pretty, and effective.  You got to adamandeve.com, put something in your shopping cart that you just love, add some lube, condoms, then use the promo code 'DOE', my last name, when you check out, because you'll get 50% off an eligible item plus free shipping on your entire order to the US and Canada.

(Endscreen)

(Lindsey flicks in condom around)