Adding the female condom to the public health agenda on prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections among men and women during anal intercourse.
Legal barriers to conducting public health research on methods of protection for anal intercourse were lifted in the United States in 2003 when the US Supreme Court invalidated all state antisodomy laws. Although research funding has been available for the development of rectal microbicides, the female condom, which has already been approved for vaginal use, has not been evaluated for anal use. Although there is no evidence that the female condom is safe for anal intercourse, it has already been taken up for off-label use by some men who have sex with men. This demonstrates the urgent need for more protection options for anal intercourse and, more immediately, the need to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the female condom for anal intercourse.
HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University, New York, 10032, USA. eak34@columbia.edu
Elizabeth A
EA
Kelvin
Raymond A
RA
Smith
Joanne E
JE
Mantell
Zena A
ZA
Stein
D000328:Adult; D001003:Anal Canal / Q000382:microbiology*; D019111:Single-Use Internal Condom; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D014481:United States