The Reality Female Condom has a unique design and a variety of purposes. When I first saw these, I didn't understand why there was a need for female condoms, but that's my social training talking. Once I gave these a spin, I was pretty happy with them, and it felt good to be the responsible partner wearing a condom for once.

Though they retail for a lot, I think they are worth it, especially in certain situations. These condoms are made out of polyurethane, which is a clear, thin plastic and is held in place with two pliable plastic rings: one up near the cervix, and the other outside the opening (and if you don't know where a cervix is, you should look it up).

This gives more potential for sensation (it's pretty large and doesn't restrict anyone's bits like a male condom) and also helps prevent transmission of skin-to-skin STIs like HPV and HSV, because it covers some of the labia. It doesn't cover the whole package, so it's not complete protection (but what constitutes "complete protection" besides abstinence, which is no fun? Oh wait! Masturbating! Bless you, Hitachi Wand!).

Potential (but relevant) TMI: When I menstruate, I use a cup (Keeper & DivaCup are two popular brands; I use the silicone version), so inserting the ring was like inserting a menstrual cup. I had no issues with insertion, and it stayed put. Depending on how you're built, it might move around a little, but it shouldn't come completely out. It might help to lube up before you slide in the condom, though it does come lubricated. However, this lube contains parabens which can be yucky, so know what you're sensitive to. Also, since it's not latex, you can use whatever lube you wish-- silicone isn't going to increase breakage or anything.

Breakage is another aspect that makes this condom worthwhile. Its breakage rate was around 1 percent in a clinical trial-- male condoms break at a 2-5% rate; see this article for more info. It's mentioned in the linked article about how it can be difficult for female partners to convince male partners to use condoms, so this is seen as a huge advantage to the mission to prevent pregnancy and STIs in cultures where male condoms aren't widely accepted.

Anywho, once you're all situated (which shouldn't take much longer than someone putting a condom on a penis/strap-on/etc-- but practice makes perfect, and you're not going to ruin it by taking it out and re-inserting it), you're good to go! This condom, like all condoms, should be used only once, despite its sturdier build. For PIV (penis-in-vagina) sex, this can be a nice change of pace for someone who's used to wearing a male condom all the time; there's more/different sensation for people with penises.

Also, it's possible to share toys (or partners!) if two (or more) people with vaginas* wear the female condom at once. That way, there's no risk of transmission from the wearer to the toy (or partner), or from the toy (or partner) to the other wearer! And you don't have to keep changing condoms between uses!

This condom has a lot of potential in the threesome world! It's far easier to have two female condoms and a partner (with a dick or strap-on or whatever) that can switch between multiple partners (with vaginas) without risking infecting anyone, getting anyone pregnant, or swapping germs between the partners being penetrated. I can imagine that having to change condoms between each partner might be a bit of a buzzkill. This product makes it possible to engage in different protocol with safer sex, which is cool.

For me, sex without condoms isn't an option; I don't intend on getting pregnant, and STIs/STDs are pretty serious business to me. The Reality Female Condom offers different ways to have sex-- and it's nice to have those options.

The only drawbacks that I can discern are the occasional crinkly sound that the material makes during penetration, and the potential difficulty that folks may have due to unfamiliarity with it. For the latter, I suggest practicing with one and knowing how to do it. For the occasional crinkly sound, that's just a fact of this condom, so turn the music up louder or learn to associate it with the delicious sensations you're experiencing, rather than feeling weird about it.


*Note: I chose to use "vagina" because it's a medical term; not to alienate anyone that doesn't call theirs a vagina. Whatever you call it, it might be involved in some form of penetrative sex, and thus, this might be a useful product!

When using this on my own, I used it to do some solo penetrative play with a couple of different dildos, to see what their differences were, because I'm a scientist, ha! It was really nice to not have to put condoms on all of them beforehand; just lube 'em and go for it! Though this wouldn't be an issue with my silicone toys (if they had been sterilized-- boiled for 3 minutes), I have some that have pthalates in them, and wanted to get a full spectrum of toyful exploration.

This condom stayed put, was easy to use, and got the job done. If less hassle sounds good to you for a situation like mine, these are the way to go.

Though they're expensive, these can be a lot of fun! I do wish that this model of condom was made of more than one type of material, but here's hoping for the future of creative condoms!