In many instances, in many cultures and countries, women may not have the power to define sexual vocabularies and boundaries. Relationships in which there are many sexual partners apart from a primary relationship are of particularly great danger. While the need for women to take control of preventing HIV infection and other STDs may seem to be just another burden organized by men to be carried by women, their taking control is one of the most effective means of reducing HIV spread. This is particularly true for those with the highest rates of partner change. The San Francisco Department of Public Health followed more than 1,500 HIV-seronegative, sexually active homosexual and bisexual men for 3 years.
Female condoms are one possibility.
Although female condoms are rarely used in the developed world, some 7 million have been distributed throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America. There is also the concern that some women will not replace these condoms between sexual encounters with different partners. This could facilitate spread of HIV to men, by their coming into contact with HIV-positive semen from the woman's last partner still retained in the old condom sheath. But scientists are always coming up with new ideas. Unfortunately, they don't.