Kenyan women give female condoms the cold shoulder

It is now clear why women are so vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

A survey conducted over a three-week period shows that female condoms are not available in chemists and pharmacies throughout the country.

It was found that chemists and pharmacies, which used to stock the products threw them out after the expiry dates found the items still on the shelves. And this could be one reason why the number of women suffering from STIs always surpasses that of men in Kenya.

The introduction of female condoms into the Kenyan market more than a decade ago provided a turning point for Kenyan women and the role they play in negotiating safe sex. It was meant to equip women with means of protecting themselves against HIV and Aids and other STIs, as well as to help them in family planning.

It was also meant to give women the freedom to negotiate safe sex both within marriage and in casual unions. Doctors and other health experts say women are biologically more vulnerable to contracting STIs than men; so lack of market for the female condoms is indeed a sad story. Ignorance about the use and complicated nature of female condoms are some of the reasons why women are reluctant to buy and use female condoms.

This now leaves men to provide protection against infectious viral diseases and unwanted pregnancies. A woman’s reproductive tract makes her twice as likely to contract a fatal STI than a man.

A woman who depends on a man financially does not have the power to negotiate for safe sex. The World Health Organisation (WHO) introduced female condoms in 1994 so that women could be involved equally in strategies to prevent and control the spread of HIV and Aids and also, to help in family planning.

According to the chairman of the newly launched HIV Clinicians Society of Kenya, Dr Joseph Aluoch, many women encounter social, economic and emotional handicaps that make it impossible to negotiate condom use with unwilling male partners.

Scientific data shows that female condoms are more effective and more protective in the prevention of STIs and in family planning than male condoms.

“So what is needed is to mobilise social workers and stakeholders in the war against HIV and Aids and other STIs is to educate and demonstrate to our women how to use female condoms,” says Dr Aluoch.

All the pharmacists and technologists we talked to say that the absence of the female condoms in their shops was purely due to lack of market.

In 1994 the US Food and Drug Administration approved and introduced two female condoms known as Reality and Femidom for use throughout the world.

This was after demonstrating their efficacy and effectiveness in preventing STIs and on family planning. This followed clinical trials in 280 sites that involved 6,800 women.

The studies involved monogamous couples who used female condoms for birth control. The studies also evaluated protection against diseases and found them to be 95 per cent effective.

The findings suggest that female condoms can offer the best protection against HIV and Aids.

This however, means reductions of sensitivity and pleasure. Price is another factor especially in Kenya, where majority live below poverty line. Female condoms cost three times more than male condoms.