Female condoms have been flying out of the Koffler Health Institute since October.

Toronto Public Health has been giving out the condoms for free as part of a study to assess women’s experiences with the condom.

“I put out about ten of them in the morning and at the end of the day there’s maybe two left,” said Kathryn Haworth, Health Promotion Nurse at Health Services. The condoms are placed in the washroom at the health center.

The female condom consists of a strong polyurethane sheath attached to two flexible rubber rings, one at the top and the other at the bottom. When used correctly, it is 97 per cent effective.

Health Education Consultant for Toronto Public Health, Barbara MacPherson, notes that couples who received both the female and male condom were more likely to use some method of birth control than if they were just given the male condom alone.

The Sexual Education Centre (SEC) at U of T has not had the same response to the female condom as Health Services.

“Not very many are being given out,” said Daven Seebarron from SEC.

SEC is also giving out the condoms for free and asking women to call them back with their results, but they have not heard from many women.

Service coordinators speculate that many women are unaware of the availability of the female condom. Furthermore, its use was not encouraged in the past.

“Health care providers are reluctant to promote it,” said MacPherson, mentioning that aesthetics have been a barrier to use.

She noted that while women may be averse to using the female condom at first, those who use it at least five times find that their attitudes change and become more accepting of it.

The female condom provides an option to those allergic to latex because it is made from polyurethane. In addition, it covers a greater area since it comes outside the vulva and covers the labia, which may provide extra protection against the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and herpes.

Advocates say that the female condom empowers women. “It gives them more control, especially when they’re in a relationship with power issues,” said Haworth. Each year in Toronto 20,000 women have unplanned pregnancies and 5,000 women are infected with sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. To participate in the study, call Toronto Public Health at 416-527-3527.