Health: A New Alternative

Current female interest in male condoms has focused attention on an entirely different product: a condom that women can wear. The new device consists of a soft, loose-fitting polyurethane sheath and two diaphragm-like, flexible rings. It is inserted like a tampon and protects the inside of the vagina, with the inner ring covering the cervix and the other remaining outside. The product, known so far only as WPC-333, offers several advantages over the traditional male condom. Women can insert it themselves before sex, and polyurethane is touted as being much stronger than latex. Some critics are concerned that the outer ring of the condom could be pushed up into the vagina and cause a loss of protection. But Colleen, a 28-year-old attorney in suburban Philadelphia who is using the WPC-333, says, "It works like a charm."

One hundred couples in America, along with 400 couples in Denmark and Britain, have tested the female condom for safety, comfort and effectiveness. If the device meets federal Food and Drug Administration standards, the WPC- 333 could be on the market in early 1989. The manufacturer, Wisconsin Pharmacal of Jackson, Wis., expects the device to be sold over the counter, unlike the pill and the diaphragm, which both require a prescription. Says Chemist Mary Ann Leeper, head of the team that is developing the condom for the U.S. market: "It broadens the armamentarium for society today to help prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases."