Friday, September 16, marks the fifth annual Global Female Condom Day (GFCD2016), an event designed to raise awareness of, access to and use of female condoms, also known as internal or receptive condoms.

Why female condoms, and what are they? They’re inserted into the vagina before sex; an inner ring helps with the insertion, while a larger outer ring stays on the outside of the vagina and holds the condom in place.

As FemaleCondomDay.org explains, “The female condom is the only tool currently available designed to offer woman-initiated protection against [sexually transmitted infections, or STIs], HIV and unplanned pregnancy. Women and men who engage in receptive vaginal and anal sex have limited options for protection. Female condoms help enable receptive partners of any gender to take greater control of their sexual health.” They’re especially important for women who don’t want to use hormonal contraception.

You can participate in this year’s awareness day by completing this sentence, using one or two words: “The future of female condoms is _______.” Then post your responses via social media in three ways:

  • Text GFCD2016 to 22333 and follow the text prompts
  • Type your answer at PollEv.com/gfcd2016
  • Tweet your answer to @NationalFCCoalition