I recently had a conversation to consider condom use for safe sex. I've been so used to the male condom being present and had never really considered internal condoms. I grew up calling them female condoms, but the correct lingo is internal condom. Thanks to ads on Instagram for the FC2 condom, my sexual revolution and LGBTQIA-inspired viewpoints on human sexuality, the topic of internal condoms popped into my brain. So I visited a nationally known pharmacy chain and a nationally-known general merchandise retailer. Neither had internal condoms. A bit weirded out, I checked out Amazon.com. Nope. Hmm. Why can't a female buy a self-empowering item for her sexual health needs? Is something going on that I missed? Did the trad wife movement and other harbingers of feminism being under attack signal a change in condom availability? I hopped on the internet and found this article: Female Condoms Will Now Be Prescription Only - WORLD (accessed November, 2024).
I could spin some conspiracy theories or go off on feminist outrage rants about the machinations that brought us to this point. Let's not.
https://onecondoms.com/blogs/education/female-condoms-where-to-find-how-to-use has this to say about obtaining internal condoms:
"At this point, it is worth acknowledging the elephant in the room – female condoms can be a little difficult to find and are not as readily available as their external counterparts. That being said, they can be found in a variety of different locations including Planned Parenthood, health clinics, pharmacies and online. You can purchase the FC2® Internal Condom online on their website. If you’re looking to purchase in bulk for your organization, visit Global Protection’s website — the exclusive distributor of this product to the U.S. public sector." (Nov, 2024)
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/birth-control/internal-condom/how-do-i-buy-internal-condoms says this about obtaining internal condoms:
"Internal condoms can sometimes be a little harder to find than traditional condoms. The only brand of internal condom that’s FDA approved and available in the U.S. is the FC2 Female Condom®. It’s available online at the FC2 Female Condom® website, at many Planned Parenthood health centers, family planning and health clinics, and by prescription in drugstores." (Nov, 2024)
I attempted the online method via Carepoint Pharmacy. It's a clunky system and is full of navigational/management faults. 0/5 stars, do not recommend. It's been a week since I requested the prescription and I have yet to get notice that the condoms have shipped. They keep asking for more information, but nowhere on their website is it clear on what they need. I'm working on obtaining an update, will let you know.
Today I tried searching for the fc2 condom website: https://fc2femalecondom.com/. The landing page has me click on the US icon or the global. The US icon takes me to the consumer page where I realize that fc2 uses Carepoint Pharmacy to fulfill their orders. Hm. They never captured my apartment number. That explains the delay in my order. Still, the follow through communication on the part of fc2 and Carepoint Pharmacy is pure shite.
My outrage grows. I clicked on the global portal for fc2 female condoms and found this:
I am TRULY happy for humans in the other parts of the world - y'all have easier access to control of safe sex. Y'all have less arguments with partners about contraceptive use. For a vagina owner to have another option for safe sex when a penis owner doesn't want to put a male condom on, I applaud your country's health care system. For anal sex lovers to have protection without social stigma getting involved, I applaud your country's health care system. As an outraged feminist in the US, I am pulling my hair.
A quick phone call to my local Planned Parenthood clinic later, and I found out they have them on hand and will give them to me for free when I walk in - no appointment needed. I'm going to have to write a second blog post about this specific topic.
My fellow humans, pop over to your local Planned Parenthood and say Hello and Thank You. I'll take myself on an adventure and explore my local LGBTQIA+ neighborhood's clinics and hunt for more internal condom sources.
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