‘We don’t want our condoms’ – Malawian women say claiming they kill pleasure

Reproductive health experts in the northern region of Malawi have expressed concerns over the low use of female condoms in the country as women are shunning the rubbers saying they reduce sexual pleasure.

The concerns were raised during an awareness campaign on reproductive health and family planning which was held at Emanyaleni in Mzimba on Wednesday.

Speaking during the event, reproductive health assistant for Matuli health centre John Msiska said it is worrisome that most women are not open enough to get condoms in health centres that are close to them.

He observed with great dismay that female condoms are gathering dust in shelves of most hospitals across the northern region and Malawi as a whole, because women are not interested to use them.

“Unlike men, women are proving to be shy to get condoms in various hospitals, as a result, condoms are just gathering dusts in our shelves,” he said.

Msiska then urged women to embrace the concept of practicing good reproductive health practices for the sake of their own good health.

He said practicing good reproductive health ways is very vital as it prevent people from getting health complications.

In concurring with him, another reproductive health expert who is also an ambassador of female condoms, Jane Chirwa, urged women to open up and start getting condoms in hospitals within their proximity.

But on their part, the women highlighted a thousand reasons for shunning condoms.

“Condoms kills the whole purpose of sex, usually our husbands blame them for killing sexual pleasure thus they discourage us from using them,” said one woman, who took to the podium.

Another woman said reproductive health facilities are not conducive for women to be getting condoms.

“So when a woman is seen getting condoms, people assume that she is a sex addict thus to avoid being called names, we don’t go there,” she said.

Other women cited religious doctrines as among the reasons why they don’t prefer using condoms and other reproductive health services.