‘Female’ condoms part of San Francisco’s new public health campaign

So-called female condoms were handed out Monday on the streets of San Francisco just in time for Valentine’s Day. This doesn’t exactly scream romance to us. But the city’s public health officials were less interested in love and more interested in urging women and gay men to use this “other” kind of condom to fight sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS.

Female condoms aren’t exactly a household object -- so some people may be unsure how to use them. Planned Parenthood is there for you. Here’s how they work:

“The female condom is a plastic pouch that is used during intercourse to prevent pregnancy and reduce the risk of sexually transmitted diseases. It has flexible rings at each end. Just before vaginal intercourse, it is inserted deep into the vagina. The ring at the closed end holds the pouch in the vagina. The ring at the open end stays outside the vaginal opening during intercourse. And during anal intercourse, it is inserted into the anus.”

The Feminist Women’s Health Center offers this advice too: “Female condoms can be inserted up to 8 hours before intercourse and are only effective when placed prior to intercourse. At first, female condoms can be awkward to use, but they are easy with practice.”

And, most important, don’t overdo the protection. Using a male and female condom at the same time may cause friction between the two and cause them to break.