SynthesisBMC public health2020
Effectiveness of the female condom in preventing HIV and sexually transmitted infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC public health, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 49 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Sexual Behaviours and Practices before and after Phase I/II HIV Vaccine Trial: A Qualitative Study among Volunteers in Dar es Salaam Tanzania.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Trial
- Performance and Acceptability of the FC2 Female Condom When Used With and Without a Silicone Placebo Vaginal Ring-A Randomized, Crossover Trial.Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) · 2020Trial
- Inequities in contraceptive use among adults in Lebanon: a national study.Journal of global health · 2026Article
- Prevalence and Determinants of Condom Non-Use During Last Sexual Encounter Among Unmarried Women of Reproductive Age in Tanzania: Findings From a National Survey.Public health challenges · 2026Article
- HPV Vaccination Knowledge and Awareness Among Male University Students in Malaysia: A Cross-Sectional Study.Vaccines · 2026Article
- The pooled proportion and associated factors of adolescent pregnancy in 47 low- and middle-income countries: A multilevel analysis.SAGE open medicine · 2026Article
- Peer-education strategies for enhancing sexual health services among female sex workers: a scoping review.BMC women's health · 2025Article
- Prevalence and factors associated with awareness and use of HIV self-testing kits among young women aged 15-24 in Ghana.AIDS research and therapy · 2025Article
- Consistency of Condom Use with Lubricants and Associated Factors Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Ghana: Evidence from Integrated Bio-Behavioral Surveillance Survey.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- HIV Prevention and Sexual Health Conversations Among Women in Ending the HIV Epidemic Priority Communities: A Qualitative Exploration of Experiences and Preferences.Archives of sexual behavior · 2025Article
- A surge in female condom distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic in Gauteng province, South Africa.Contraception and reproductive medicine · 2025Article
- Implementation strategies to support pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention care for cisgender women in federally-funded family planning clinics in Atlanta, Georgia.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2025Article
- Article
- Prevalence of sexually transmitted infections and associated risk factors among female sex workers in Guinea-Bissau.Sexually transmitted infections · 2024Article
- Article
- Measurement and conceptualization of male involvement in family planning: a bibliometric analysis of Africa-based studies.Contraception and reproductive medicine · 2024Review
- Reversible female contraceptives: historical, current, and future perspectives†.Biology of reproduction · 2024Review
- HIV infection.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2023Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe effectiveness of female condoms for preventing HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remains inconclusive. We examined the effects of female condoms on the acquisition of HIV and STIs.
methodsWe searched four databases, two trial registries, and reference lists of relevant publications in October 2018 and updated our search in February 2020. We screened search output, evaluated study eligibility, and extracted data in duplicate; resolving differences through discussion. We calculated the effective sample size of cluster randomised trials using an intra-cluster correlation coefficient of 0·03. Data from similar studies were combined in a meta-analysis. We performed a non-inferiority analysis of new condoms relative to marketed ones using a non-inferiority margin of 3%. We assessed the certainty of evidence using GRADE.
resultsWe included fifteen studies of 6921 women. We found that polyurethane female condoms (FC1) plus male condoms may be as effective as male condoms only in reducing HIV acquisition (1 trial, n = 149 women, RR 0.07, 95%CI 0.00-1.38; low-certainty evidence). However, the use of FC1 plus male condoms is superior to male condoms alone in reducing the acquisition of gonorrhoea (2 trials, n = 790, RR 0.59, 95%CI 0.41-0.86; high-certainty evidence) and chlamydia (2 trials, n = 790, RR 0.67, 95%CI 0.47-0.94; high-certainty evidence). Adverse events and failure rates of FC1 were very low and decreased during follow up. Although the functionality of newer female condoms (Woman's, Cupid, Pheonurse, Velvet, and Reddy) may be non-inferior to FC2, there were no available studies assessing their efficacy in preventing HIV and STIs.
conclusionThe use of female plus male condoms is more effective than use of male condoms only in preventing STIs and may be as effective as the male condom only in preventing HIV. There is a need for well conducted studies assessing the effects of newer female condoms on HIV and STIs. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42018090710.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.