How a Woman Can Protect
Herself
l In order for a woman to prevent other people’s sexual fluid
How to Use the Female Condom
1.
from contacting her vagina, a barrier protection must be used
l One of the most effective barriers is a latex condom, that fits
over the male’s penis
While squeezing the inner ring of the
condom with your middle finger and
thumb, put the closed end of the
condom in the vagina. If the condom
is too slippery to put in, let it go and
try again .
The Female
Condom
and
Reproductive Health
2.
l Unfortunately, many men refuse to use condoms
Keep pushing the inner ring up the
vagina with your index finger as far
as it will go. This step may be hard
to do on the first or second time;
don’t worry you can’t push it too
far !!!
when women ask them to wear one
l Fortunately, a new effective condom has been developed for
women
l When properly used with lubrication, the female condom is 95%
effective and many men say that it is more enjoyable to use
than the male condom
Vancouver Native Health Society
449 East Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC
V6A 1P5
3.
l The female condom is placed inside the vagina by the women
prior to sex. The female condom allows women to have the
control and power to protect their bodies
Tel: (604)255-9766
Fax: (604)254-5750
Email: [email protected]
4.
Make sure you don’t twist the condom
when it is inserted.
l The material it is made of is safe for people who are allergic to
latex condoms
l It is very important to remember that the condom can only be
used once. A new condom is needed every time you have sex.
l Come by and pick some up and try them out. They are free at
most Downtown Eastside clinics including Vancouver Native
Health Clinic.
Vancouver Native
Health Society
Make sure that some of the condom
stays outside of the body. This part of
the condom is added protection for you
and your partner against STDs. After
sex, twist the open end of the condom
to keep the fluid inside, then carefully
pull the condom out of the vagina.
The Reproductive Cycle
The Female Reproductive Organs
l In the ovary, the egg grows inside of a small sac that looks like
l
a bubble. This sac is called a follicle. Once a month, chemicals
called hormones reach a certain
level in the female’s body and
cause the ovary to release an egg
from a follicle. This process is
Important parts of the female reproductive body are the
vagina, uterus, ovary and the fallopian tubes.
called ovulation.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
l When a woman has unprotected sex with a man, she is not
only at risk for becoming pregnant, she is also at risk for
contracting a sexually transmitted disease (STD).
STDs are VERY common in the DTES. They include
chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhea , herpes, genital warts, and HIV.
l Many of these infections have sy mptoms that are difficult
to recognize and therefore often go untreated for years.
Egg Being Released from an Ovary
l Hormones also cause the uterus to build up a soft bed of blood
which will act as a womb (or home) for the growing baby.
l Pregnancy occurs if the egg meets up with a sperm in the
fallopian tubes.
l
The vagina is a structure that looks like a tube and connects to the uterus allowing the penis to enter the women
during sex
l
The cervix is the opening to the uterus
l
The uterus will act as a home for a fertilized egg and developing baby
l
The ovary is a small egg-shaped organ that contains all of a
woman’s eggs
l
The fallopian tubes are located on either side of the
uterus. They transport the egg to the uterus (that comes
out of the ovary) (for most women, this occurs approximately every 28 days). The fallopian tubes act as a passage
for the egg to travel down to the uterus
l STDs put women at risk for many health problems: i.e. not
being able to have children, pain in the stomach and vagina,
poor pregnancy outcomes, organ damage, and sometimes
even death.
l Symptoms women should be watching for that may be
caused by an STD:
w abnormal amount of discharge or bleeding from the
vagina
w a painless red sore on the vagina
w pain during sex
w clusters of sores or bumps on the vagina
l Because many of the symptoms do not get noticed, it is very
important that women protect themselves during sex and
visit their doctors regularly
l Sperm live in the fluid that comes out of a man’s penis. Because
l
it takes only one sperm to cause pregnancy, it can occur very
easily unless a condom or other form of birth control is being
used. Sperm can live in the uterus for up to 3 days.
Approximately 14 days after the egg was released, if it did not
get fertilized, the egg will die and a different hormone causes
the blood in the uterus to flow out. This process is commonly
called menstruation or a woman’s period.
l The cycle then begins again.
l If you have questions, check with your nurse or doctor
l If any of these symptoms are familiar to you, please see
your family doctor or attend a street clinic and have your
doctor examine you. Most of these STDs are treatable. You
will have also ensure that your sexual partner also gets
treated at the same time you are.