Jones H, van de Wijgert JH, Sebola M, de Kock A, Braunstein S, Blanchard K, Hoosen A, Coetzee N; International Conference on AIDS.
Int Conf AIDS. 2002 Jul 7-12; 14: abstract no. MoPeD3653.
Population Council, New York, NY, United States
BACKGROUND: Vaginal product use may interfere with microbicide use and acceptability. METHODS: Women were interviewed about their vaginal practices as part of a Phase II trial of Carraguard gel (N=400), and a Phase III feasibility survey (N=200), in South Africa. Vaginal product use was permitted under the Phase II protocol. RESULTS: Women in Gugulethu (near Cape Town) and Ga-Rankuwa (near Pretoria) reported to engage in vaginal product insertion before enrollment into the trial for the following reasons: cleansing (19%, 52%), drying and/or tightening (8%, 5%), medication (35%, 22%), and menstrual hygiene (27%, 21%). Use of vaginal lubricants and spermicides was rare at both sites. During the Phase II trial, women in Gugulethu and Ga-Rankuwa continued to use vaginal products for cleansing (14%, 30%), medication (22%, 10%), and menstrual hygiene (15%, 18%), and almost all women (96% at both sites) regularly washed their external genitalia. Vaginal cleansing typically occurred once or twice per day while bathing, with plain water or water and soap, using a finger or a wet towel. Eleven percent of women reported to regularly cleanse the vagina just before sex. Many more women in Gugulethu than Ga-Rankuwa preferred a dry and/or tight vagina during sex (63% versus 11%), and thought that their male partners preferred it dry and/or tight (65% versus 14%). CONCLUSIONS: Women in South Africa commonly use vaginal products for a variety of reasons. Types of practices and preferences for vaginal lubrication vary by region and should be taken into account when studying microbicide acceptability. Educational messages should clearly state that women should not cleanse their vagina between microbicide insertion and sex.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Administration, Intravaginal
- Anti-Infective Agents
- Clinical Trials as Topic
- Clinical Trials, Phase II as Topic
- Drug Administration Routes
- Female
- Humans
- Lubrication
- Male
- South Africa
- Spermatocidal Agents
- Vagina
- Vaginal Diseases
Other ID:
UI: 102255176
From Meeting Abstracts