An unpublished FHI study has found that the structural integrity of the female condom remains intact after a single act of intercourse. The device also remains intact in the laboratory after up to 10 washes with or without bleach disinfection. The washing procedure used mild soap in warm water and rinsing, followed by pat-drying of both sides of the condom with a towel. Four laboratory tests compared the test condoms with unused female condoms (seam tensile strength, water leakage, air burst and tear propagation).
"Now that we know the device can remain structurally sound after multiple washes, we feel we can proceed with multiple uses in human subjects," says Carol Joanis of FHI, who is coordinating the studies. FHI is studying how five uses may affect the vagina and penis. Couples who use one device five times are being compared with couples who use new devices for five acts of intercourse.
The study recommended that women use liquid detergent, but some women used bar soap instead."While preliminary data are still under review, the results look promising," says Mags Beksinska, who helped manage this study. "The critical issue for me is the ability of women to detect damage after reuse."
The study also tested for the presence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Gardnerella vaginalis. When the women returned used and washed condoms, they had vaginal and cervical swabs taken by clinic personnel. These swabs were tested to see what bacteria were inside the woman's vagina that could have been transmitted to the female condom.
The study found that many organisms are introduced onto the female condom by environmental contaminants through dirty towels or other sources, but their presence in relatively small numbers should not be problematic in a healthy vagina.
Please visit www.fhi.org female condom research briefs for the complete document.
Source: www.fhi.org
