Contraception
Volume 75, Issue 4 , Pages 251-255, April 2007

Standardized definitions of failure modes for female condoms☆

  • Mags Beksinska

      Affiliations

    • Reproductive Health and HIV Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand, Mayville 4091, South Africa
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Reproductive Health and HIV Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand, Westridge Medical Center, Mayville 4091, South Africa.
    • ,
  • Carol Joanis

      Affiliations

    • Family Health International, PO Box 13950, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
    • ,
  • Judy Manning

      Affiliations

    • United States Agency for International Development, Washington DC 20523-3601, USA
    • ,
  • Jenni Smit

      Affiliations

    • Reproductive Health and HIV Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand, Mayville 4091, South Africa
    • ,
  • Marianne Callahan

      Affiliations

    • CONRAD, Arlington, VA 22209, USA
    • ,
  • Bidia Deperthes

      Affiliations

    • United Nations Population Fund, New York, NY 10017, USA
    • ,
  • Margaret Usher-Patel

      Affiliations

    • United Nations Development Programme/United Nations Population Fund/World Health Organization/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction, Department of Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization, Geneva 27, Switzerland
    • The author is a staff member of the World Health Organization. The author alone is responsible for the views expressed in this publication and they do not necessarily represent the decisions, policy or views of the World Health Organization.

Received 26 September 2006; received in revised form 22 October 2006; accepted 23 October 2006. published online 09 February 2007.

Abstract 

Definitions of male condom failure modes are now well documented, and failure events are usually reported as the proportion of the total number of condoms used and the proportion of men/couples who experience an event. The lack of standardized definitions for female condom (FC) failure has led to variability in reporting and hence difficulties in making comparisons across studies. As a result, the World Health Organization convened a technical review committee meeting in January 2006 through which the members compiled and agreed to a standard list of terms and definitions for each of the failure modes. These failure modes apply to FCs currently marketed or in advanced stages of clinical testing. They were designed to assist in the review and comparative assessment of different FCs.

Keywords: failure mode, female condom, male condom

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☆ The WHO Department of Reproductive Health and Research provided funding for the technical review committee conducted in January 2006. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, United States Agency for International Development, United Nations Population Fund, Family Health International and CONRAD provided funding for the work described in this article.

PII: S0010-7824(06)00387-8

doi:10.1016/j.contraception.2006.10.003

Contraception
Volume 75, Issue 4 , Pages 251-255, April 2007

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