Things of Legend
Things of Legend
Friday, September 26, 2008
Scene loves condoms, the Pill, getting tested regularly and honest, loving communication. These safe sex practices are A-OK in our book. But some others, the ones that lurked in the later pages of “Our Bodies, Ourselves,” seem more dubious. Not dubious in their efficacy, though — we’ll take that on faith. Dubious in their existence. They are the yeti and sasquatches of birth control, implausible entities spoken of rarely and spied almost never. They are the Things of Legend.
E-mail us if you know anything about any of the following. We’re genuinely intrigued.
Dental Dam: The only fun thing about this one is that “dam” makes you think of beavers.
Female condom: This is perfect if your favorite part of using condoms is having your genitals covered in latex, and you really want to take that experience to the next level.
The cervical cap: It sounds like something you would wear if you were in a car accident, or perhaps like a jaunty chapeau. In fact, according to the Planned Parenthood Web site, “the cervical cap is a silicone cup shaped like a sailor’s hat.” Seriously.
The sponge: “Oh, I’m not too busy today. Just staying at home, washing the semen out of my sponge.”
Matchstick-sized rods implanted under the skin of your upper arm: Yum, sexy.
Comments
None 3 years, 8 months ago
I think it is stigmatizing and counterproductive to suggest that viable birth control and STI prevention methods resemble swamp creatures. Simply because those of you at Yale have not taken 30 seconds to research the benefits and uses of products like female condoms, their existence and use should not be called into question. You could have started your search by typing "female condom" into Wikipedia, which would have given you the basics and also directed you to some resources on the role of U.S. foreign aid in providing female condoms to countries threatened by HIV and AIDS. If you think reading the Wikipedia entry will take too much time, here are the basics: Roughly 1 female condom exists for every 100 women in the developing world While there are between 9 and 13 billion male condoms worldwide, there are roughly 26 million female condoms.
Much of the disparity between the availability of male and female condoms is due to lack of public and private sector investment Female condoms are as effective as male condoms in preventing pregnancy and STIs Some users prefer female condoms to male condoms because they can be more comfortable, conduct heat better and provide more stimulation Female condoms allow women to initiate protection and provide an alternative form of protection for men who have sex with men
When discussing methods of STI and pregnancy prevention we must choose our words and direct or incredulity carefully. No method is right for everyone, but we cannot discourage people from seeking and using the method that works best with them simply because we can't see that method working for us. A popularity contest among methods will not achieve the ultimate goal of healthier living.
For more information visit www.preventionnow.net
Or login with:
OpenID