Study looks at availability in Hartford.

The Institute for Community Research in Hartford has received funding for a project to promote the availability and use of the female condom.

The female condom is a polyurethane sheath worn during sex that prevents pregnancy, and is effective at protecting against HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. But its hard to find in pharmacies and clinics, and until recently has been quite expensive.

Since 1980, more than 5700 women in CT have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, 40% of whom contracted the virus through heterosexual sex. Hartford has the highest number of people in the state living with HIV. And Institute for Community Research project director Maryann Abbott says the city's rate of new HIV infections continues to be high, "especially among African American and Hispanic women through heterosexual sex. The female condom is really a good option for some women who can’t insist on male condom use with their partners. "

Abbott says domestic, cultural and social dynamics sometimes make it hard for women to insist that men wear condoms. The female condom offers an effective women- initiated barrier method. The ICR female condom project is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health.

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