Two female condoms close to entering U.S. market
Contraceptive Technology Update 10(4): 49-50
1989
ISSN/ISBN: 0274-726X PMID: 12342200 Document Number: 315202
2 female condoms -- the WPC 333 and the Barrier -- are in various stages of entering the US market. The WPC 333 awaits Food and Drug Administration approval; the Barrier has been approved by the FDA by lacks a distributor as yet. The Barrier is a latex, shield-like device, which fits over the outer vagina and perineum and is held in place with thick elastic straps that encircle the women's upper legs. In the center of the device is a tube-shaped pouch, about 1 1/2 times larger than a male condom. The Barrier also contains a silicone lubricant. During use, the penis enters the pouch, never directly touching the woman's outer or inner genitalia. The latex in the device is 2 times thicker than a male condom. In clinical trials of about 450 US couples, the WPC 333 was compared with the male condom for effectiveness. No semen spillage occurred in the vaginas of the women tested, and no tears occurred during use. The WPC is made of polyurethane, resembling a child's sock with a thick flexible ring in the top of the device. Another ring about 2 1/2 inches in diameter is attached to the bottom, or outside of the device, covering the woman's labia. The WPC 333 is lubricated with nonoxynol-9. The medical coordinator at the Vermont Women's Health Center in Burlington questions how well the female condoms will be accepted by patients.