Will this new ‘panty condom’ for women help reduce STIs in Africa?

Condoms are known to be used for contraceptive purposes and to prevent sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhoea, AIDS, chlamydia, and herpes. However, condoms have evolved in so many ways in function and feature to fit the times and needs of its users.

The widely known condom is the male version made out of latex or polyurethane. It is unrolled to cover the penis from its head to the pubic area. There is also the female condom which is not conveniently used.

In effect, the female condom has never really caught on, particularly, in Africa when it was launched back in the 1990s; even though many hoped that it would empower women to take charge of their sexual health.

Recently, the female panty condom was invented with the hope of providing more pleasure and ultimately put more power into the hands of women, considering scores of men refuse to use the condom.

The new condom, which is in the form of the G-String first came into the limelight in 2015, but it is now ready to hit the market in Africa, particularly, the Ugandan market, as its National Council for Science and Technology has already given the go-ahead.

The product combines contraception and lingerie, by incorporating a re-usable female condom into the garment’s design.

The “pant is like a G-string which has a condom on it. It’s placed on the panty and has an inlet and outlet. When the lady is walking it does not affect the condom inside.”

“It doesn’t require an initial positioning… it can be worn during the day… you can visit your boyfriend when the time comes and you can go to the toilet and wear your panty and come out looking sexy…” Dr. Moses Muwonge, the Executive Director SAMASHA Medical Foundation, a local non-profit promoting the condom has said.

So how different is this product?

If you are a young woman, stylish corporate lady or an adolescent girl, then this condom is good for you, considering it is in a form of a G-string, a type of panty popular among that group, manufacturers of the condom, the Colombian manufacturer, Innova Quality, have said.

For Vastha Kibirige, the Condom Coordination Officer at Ministry of Health in Uganda, women have finally “got something they can control.”

The panty condom has also been designed in such a way that it would not slide away and get lost in the body. The interesting thing is the product allows for change of positions during sex unlike the current female condom on the market, said Dr Muwonge. The underwear plus two condoms cost about $5.

But how ready are we for such a condom? Are women willing to replace the female condom for a rather weird panty one? The female panty condom is already on the market in Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Spain. But would women in Africa embrace this easily? Have we considered the side benefits and possible allergies of such a panty? How appealing would it even be for the men as well?

Ugandans are ready to begin six-months acceptability studies on the product. As we wait for the outcome, tell us what you also think of the product in the comment section below.

Watch this video of the panty condom: