Female condoms FCs are still not widely used or accepted in comparison to male condoms despite being on the market for over 30 years. Besides cultural factors, they may be unpopular for other reasons; some women find FCs difficult to use, aesthetically unappealing to their male partners, or costly.
Following a recent innovation β the invention of a female condom called Wondaleaf β a study was conducted to probe the perceptions of Malaysian women towards FCs, as well as testing its functional performance. The tentative but positive feedback may be promising for advocacy of female sexual health and prevention. Female condoms enable women to take preventive measures against unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections STIs including HIV.
Wondaleaf was invented by Malaysian obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr John Tang, after receiving a surprising number of patients who complained of unplanned pregnancies and STIs, despite having used contraception. It can be worn before sexual contact or even β for male users β before erection. This extended shield covers the entire outer genitalia to prevent transmission of STIs through those potential sites of infection.
More importantly, Wondaleaf is designed to reduce issues during intercourse such as slippage, misdirection, and invagination terms explained below. Each Wondaleaf package comes with two sets of barrier film and is priced at RM16, a cost comparable to other FCs. In the pilot study by Ting, Wong, and Tnay, participants were invited to use Wondaleaf five times for sexual intercourse over a two-month period.
Each woman was taught how to use the product through an instructional video, and by practicing on a pelvis model. After each use of Wondaleaf, they rated their experience in surveys. Clinical failure occurs if a condom breaks or slips under certain conditions, or when there is misdirection the penis is inserted wrongly or invagination the condom is pushed into the vagina during intercourse.
