A female condom may seem as awkward an idea as male birth control - great in theory, but dubious in practice.

Male condoms are almost always a ticking time bomb for the guys…well, at least for me. I often feel like the condom unwrapping kills the flow of the intimate moment - you’re getting ready, excited…and wait. Time out... we have to grab a condom. Wait a sec. Seriously, just one more minute, and I can get it on. Well…let’s go back to the drawing board. That doesn't keep me from using them, but often my GF and I would like to have another form of protection around.

Enter the FC, or female condom. It's a perfect alternative to trying to beat the clock for the male condom.

At first, when you open it up, the female condom looks a bit awkward. In essence, it looks like a cross between a male condom and a plastic sandwich bag with two rings in it. That makes you want to use one, right?
The first time you use one, it will probably take a bit of maneuvering to get it into place. Essentially, one of the soft, foldable rings stays on the outside while the other sits in the open position inside of the vagina. It took my GF a try or two to get it just right, but there was not a whole lot of extra work involved.

On first try, the condom was a bit dry and probably felt no different than, well, a plastic bag (be it a soft and warm one). However, with a little bit of lubricant and a little extra body heat, I have to say that the FC is quite comfortable for a guy. My GF likes being able to be in control of the birth control medium, and she also likes the way that it feels. No matter how fancy a male condom the manufacturers will make, there is always a bit of sensation loss and compression that makes a guy feel less than natural. Most of that loss of sensation comes back using the using the FC. It feels a lot more natural for me – and she like the way I feel in her as well.

There are a few other awkward things about the FC, though. You could be put off visually by the way the open ring looks outside of the vagina. Also, you have to be careful at first to make sure that you’re actually in the condom. Again, you’ll probably need to use a bit more lubrication, but I’m telling you that it’s worth it.

A couple of bonuses: 1) The female condom makes period sex essentially mess free (way better than lining the bed with spare towels or having extra sheets on hand); 2) The female condom can be placed well in advance of actual intercourse (We’ve never tried this, but I like the idea of not having to slow down during a steamy moment); 3) You don’t have to pull out ASAP after climaxing. It’s nice to take it slow.
All in all, I am extremely happy with this product. While there is a bit of awkwardness at first, the learning curve is well worth it. We usually keep a handful of these on hand for whenever we want a change of pace. If they were a bit less expensive, we would probably use them as our only form of protection.