MXPA99007657A - Female condom - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a female condom (10) for protection against sexually transmissible diseases to be inserted in a user's vagina, comprising a thin-walled flexible tube (15) with a closed end (20) and an open end (25), said open end provided with means for being radially stretched comprising a flexible collar (35) made in harder material than the thin flexible tube (15) and extending perpendicular to said tube so as to cover the vulva during intercourse.

Description

FEMALE CONDOM DESCRIPTIVE MEMORY The present invention relates to female condoms. Although AIDS prevention campaigns recommend the use of condoms, a good part of the population, the most exposed, do not use it. It is especially about: young couples in which the man does not know how to get pleasure with a condom; couples in which the unfaithful spouse can not suddenly request the use of the condom without provoking suspicion; sex servants whose determined clients refuse to use a condom for different reasons. Then, it is possible to verify a balance in the incidence of AIDS in homosexuals or bisexual men, the percentage of pollution in the heterosexual population is even more increasing; Most of these cases are due to the practice of sexual intercourse without means of precaution. During the 11th International AIDS Conference (Vancouver 1996), a Brazilian representative showed that the use of the traditional male condom, even when the woman wants it, is often impossible when the spouse refuses (LOUREIRO R., The use of the condom between young women from the low-income urban population, attending a public hospital in Porto Alegre Brazil, XI International AIDS Conference, Vancouver, July 7-12, 1996, Th. C 4483 pp 329-330) and a group of Researchers at the Harvard Medical School and the World Health Organization estimated that the use of a female condom would provide women with more freedom in negotiating safe sex (PUROHIT A., TAMASHIRO H., STEINBERG J. , KIESSLING A., CHAKRABORTY J., Prevention topics on female and male condoms, XI International AIDS Conference, Vancouver, July 7-12, 1996, Th.C. 4464 p.327). On the other hand, it is known that women are more vulnerable to AIDS, as well as to other sexually transmitted diseases, than men. For this reason, the report of the European Commission on the state of health of women in the European Union (1996) estimates that, as women are more vulnerable than men to the spread of this disease, "it is towards them that they must direct efforts to prevent the spread of this deadly disease "(Report on the state of health in women in the European Community, Commission of the European Communities, 1996). In addition, it is known that women are almost always better prevention agents.

At present, there is a certain number of female condoms on the market. Patent EP 0 280 943 describes a female condom consisting of a tubular device for protection against the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, which can be inserted into the vagina of the user; the female condom comprises a thin flexible tube having a closed end and an open end; said open end has a means for radially stretching it which prevents the said tube from slipping inward, and which keeps said end open. One of the disadvantages of said female condom is that the risk of penetration outside the condom is relatively high, especially in the case of repeated contacts. The patent FR, A, 2 730 920 presents a prophylactic device that can be placed previously and that is inserted automatically at the moment of penetration. The device consists of a retention case generally in the shape of a truncated cone, which is closed at the lower end by a spherical reservoir and the other end is open. The open end forms part of a holding plate comprising an opening in which the perimeter is equal to the same of the open end. The plate is resistant to keep the opening of the case slightly circular while remaining flexible. The union has the purpose of being assembled by the support plate on a textile support, as an intimate garment.

The objective of the present invention is to propose a female condom that reduces the risk of penetration outside the female condom during intercourse. To this end, the invention proposes a female condom comprising a thin, flexible wall tube having a closed end and an open end, said open end having a means for radially stretching said open end; said means for radially stretching said open end comprises a neck of material harder to the touch than the thin flexible tube extending perpendicular to said tube, so that it covers the vulva during intercourse, characterized in that said neck It comprises an elongated excrescence in the direction of the anus. So that excrescence covers the area between the vulva and the anus of the user during intercourse. For a female condom to effectively prevent the transmission of the AIDS virus or other viruses and germs, it is essential that, despite repeated contacts, the penis can not penetrate the vagina outside the condom. For this reason, it is convenient to provide a female condom in which the neck comprises an excrescence or lengthened tongue towards the anus, which is placed parallel to the vulva and perpendicular to the tubular part of the condom. The full neck of the tongue covers the vulva of the woman keeping the open end of the female condom in place and effectively prevents the spread of diseases, since it prevents contact between the body fluids of men and women. The neck has a tongue, harder to the touch, allows the man to determine the entrance area of the female condom, and in this way reduces the risk of penetration outside the condom. In case of penetration outside the female condom, the fact that the neck is made of a material harder to the touch will allow the couple to realize the problem immediately. This constitutes a considerable advantage in relation to the known female condoms that do not have said neck harder to the touch, and for which the penis must be guided inside the tube and with which the couple does not realize anything in case of penetration outside the female condom. According to a first preferred embodiment, the means for radially stretching said open end comprises a ring having slightly the same diameter as said tube and delimiting the neck in relation to the tube. The open end of the tube is kept open, for example, with the aid of a ring of plastic material comprising on the outside a neck of material harder to the touch than the thin and flexible tube. Preferably, the ring has a diameter identical to that of the vagina. According to another embodiment, said ring can slide on said tube. Conveniently, the neck is made of a stiffer material and / or a thicker material than the thin flexible tube.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the length of the thin and flexible wall tube is chosen so that the neck remains in contact with the vulva. To increase the comfort of the female condom, it is preferable that the neck is always applied against the lips of the vagina. Since the vagina can be of different sizes it is preferable to make available female condoms of different lengths. If necessary, different lengths of the neck can also be provided. In another preferred embodiment, the aforementioned closed end comprises a retention means that allows to preserve the female condom inside the vagina during intercourse. Preferably, said retaining means is a ring of a semi-rigid or foam material. This means of retention can be impregnated with a spermicidal and / antiseptic substance. For people particularly exposed to the virus (seropositive couple), a diaphragm placed inside the tubular part or a thin foam disc could avoid the risk of condom perforation. For people less exposed to such risk, a ring or a hollowed-out foam disk or semi-rigid ring could be enough to keep the condom inside the vagina during intercourse. According to another preferred embodiment, said retaining means is removably movable at the closed end. Also, the female condom may include a means for securing said retaining means to the thin-walled tube.

Conveniently, the thin flexible tube is made of a polymeric material, such as natural rubber latex (NRL), polyethylene, polyurethane and the derivatives and mixtures thereof. The female condom can be lubricated inside and / or outside with a suitable lubricant to increase comfort. Other characteristics of the invention are described, not by way of limitation, in the examples and in relation to the figure showing the female condom. The female condom 10, which can be inserted into the vagina of a wearer, comprises a thin-walled flexible tube 15 having a closed end 20 and an open end 25; the latter 25 comprises a ring 30 having slightly the same diameter as said tube 15 and delimiting the neck 35 with respect to the tube 15. The open end 25 of the tube 15 is kept open with the help of said ring 30 of plastic material which it comprises on the outside the neck 35 of material harder to the touch than the thin and flexible tube. The neck 35 extends perpendicular to the mentioned tube 15, so as to cover the vulva during intercourse. The female condom 15 also offers good protection against the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, as well as effective protection against unwanted pregnancies. The neck, which covers the vulva and reduces the risk of penetration outside the condom, makes the female condom safer than a classic male condom. Contrary to known female condoms, the present female condom comprises a ring between the neck and the tube. This ring further decreases the risk of involuntary penetration outside the condom. The female condom remains immobile inside the vagina during intercourse, just as the neck does not move in principle either. The thickness of the tube and neck can vary, it being understood that the thickness of the most important wall and neck decrease the sensitivity during intercourse. Typical thicknesses for the tube are between 20 and 100 microns, while the neck may be thicker. Of course, the thickness of the wall must be such that the resistance to the mechanical constraints of the female condom imposed by the regulations in force in different countries is guaranteed. The measures of the female condom are such that they allow the movement of the penis in relation to the female condom during the sexual act. The neck 35 comprises an excrescence or tongue 40 elongated towards the anus, which is placed parallel to the vulva and perpendicular to the tubular part of the condom. The tongue 40 covers the area between the vulva and the user's anus during intercourse. The female condom 10 can be manufactured in different lengths c. to d., that the length of the tube 15 can be different depending on the size of the vagina of the user, so that for each user, the neck 35 remains in contact with the vulva. In general, the length of the neck 35 is between 1 and 4 cm, and preferably between 1 and 2 cm. Of course, the length of the neck 35 does not necessarily have to be uniform with its own contour. The closed end 20 comprises a retaining means 45 that allows the female condom 10 to be kept inside the vagina during intercourse. The retaining means 45 may be a diaphragm, a thin foam disk or a ring of a semi-rigid or foam material. It may be impregnated with a spermicidal and / or antiseptic substance. The female condom 15 is made of a polymer material, such as natural rubber latex (NRL), polyethylene, polyurethane and the derivatives and mixtures thereof. The female condom 15 can be lubricated inside and / or outside with a suitable lubricant to increase comfort. The female condom can be placed in place just before intercourse or much earlier. Unlike the classic male condom, it is not necessary to remove the female condom directly after ejaculation.

Claims (11)

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. - A female condom (10) for protection against the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, which can be inserted into the vagina of a user; The female condom comprises a thin-walled flexible tube (15) having a closed end (20) and an open end (25), said open end (25) having a means for radially stretching the aforementioned open end (25). ), said means for radially stretching said open end (25) comprises a neck (35) of material harder to the touch than the thin flexible tube (15) extending perpendicular to the tube (15), of so as to cover the vulva during intercourse, characterized in that said neck (35) comprises an elongate excrescence (40) in the direction of the anus.

2. A female condom according to claim 1, further characterized in that the means for radially stretching said open end (25) comprises a ring (30) that has slightly the same diameter of said tube (15) that delimits the neck (35) in relation to the tube (15).

3. A female condom according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the neck (35) is made of a stiffer material than the flexible and thin tube (15).

4. - A female condom according to one of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the neck (35) is made of a thicker material than the thin flexible tube (15).

5. A female condom according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the length of the flexible thin wall tube (15) is chosen so that the neck (35) is kept in contact with the vulva.

6. A female condom according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that said closed end (20) comprises a retaining means (45) that allows the female condom (10) to be kept inside the vagina during the relationship sexual.

7. A female condom according to claim 6, further characterized in that said retaining means (45) is a ring (30) of a semi-rigid or foam material.

8. A female condom according to any of claims 7 or 8, further characterized in that said retaining means (45) is impregnated with a spermicidal and / or antiseptic substance.

9. A female condom according to any of claims 6 to 8, further characterized in that said retaining means (45) is movably insertable in the said closed end (20).

10. - A female condom according to claim 6, further characterized in that (10) also comprises means for fixing said retaining means 45 to the thin-walled tube (15).

11. A female condom according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the thin-walled flexible tube (15) is made of a polymeric material, such as natural rubber latex (NRL), polyethylene, polyurethane. and the derivatives and mixtures thereof.