I gave these a try hoping to find an alternative to regular condoms. And I really did have high hopes - I like to be in control of my own birth control, I like the idea of not having to use (male) condoms so I bravely gave the Reality Female Condoms a shot.

They are made from polyurethane, which is great for people with latex allergies. I'll give them a point for that. However, that quickly gets forgotten due to the fact that they are incredibly hard to insert correctly, and even when you have them properly worn, they sort of flop around inside - and outside. I don't want to be crude, but to be quite honest it's uncannily similar to having a sandwich bag stuffed up my vagina.

And it's LOUD! Nothing weirder and more mood-killing than an unnatural sounding SQUELCH! SQELCH! SQUELCH! sound while you're trying to get your freak on. The condom squelched around noisily the entire time.

I did not feel protected at all while wearing one, mainly because I spent so much time worrying about whether it was positioned right and why it was moving around so much. My partner at the time did not enjoy it either, saying (like I just did above) that it was like... well, a plastic bag. Sex was a little awkward and neither of us enjoyed it anywhere near as much as we usually did - I think the sensation was dulled quite a bit on both sides.

You will need quite a bit of lubricant with this, both to get it inserted and for use, since it will block your natural lubrication from coming in contact with your partner's penis. Be sure to use a condom safe lube!

And never, ever use this in addition to a male condom - the friction can cause both to tear or break, leading to what could be a very bad situation.

It's wonderful that there are other options out there besides just hormonal birth control and male condoms. Perhaps my anatomy just doesn't work well with the female condom. Who knows - but if you're going to go with a barrier method, I'd recommend just sticking with a regular condom instead.