Prevalence of vaginal practices in Tete province Mozambique.
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Dr. Brigitte M. Bagnol |
Despite high HIV prevalence rate and effort to understand sexuality, key aspects of sexual health remain poorly explored. Among these are a variety of products and practices used by women to modify their vaginas for hygienic, health, or sexual reasons. A household survey using a multi-stage cluster sample design covered 919 women to identify the type, motivations and prevalence of vaginal practices.
Person weights were used to adjust for differential probabilities of inclusion of enumeration areas, number of eligible women per household and response rates. The prevalence of ever used vaginal practices ranged from the near universal washing (99.3%), elongation of the vaginal labia (98.7%) and cleansing (92.4%) to common practices like insertion of products in the vagina (71.6 %) and ingestion (47.6%). One quarter of the respondents had carried out some form of vaginal cutting (24.8%). While insertion is mainly used in preparation to sexual intercourse (92.4%), cleansing is a component of personal hygiene (98.9%). The median number of times the practices are carried out is twice a day for washing, daily for douching and four times monthly for application. Vaginal practices include using different products as a routine or in response to particular events. Research is needed to analyse the composition of the products and to explore the relation between the practices, the products and occurrence of sexual and reproductive problems including STI/HIV transmission. These practices appear to have a major impact on women’s acceptance of condoms or microbicides.
Mariano Esmerlada ( Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Anthropology, Maputo, Mozambique;), François Isabelle (International Centre of Reproductive Health (ICRH) Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium;), Mbofana Francisco (Regional Centre for Health and Development (CRDS), Maputo, Mozambique,), Kenter Elise (Independent researcher), Mariano Esmeralda ( Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Anthropology, Maputo, Mozambique;), Tumwesigye Nazarius Mbona ( Makerere University School of Public Health, Uganda;), Chersich Matthew (International Centre for Reproductive Health, Mombasa, Kenya and Reproductive Health and HIV Research Unit, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa;), Hull Terence (Australian Demographic and Social Research Institute, The Australian National University;), Hilber Adriane Martin (Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Switzerland.) Conflict of Interest: None disclosed
Financial Support/Funding: UNDP/UNFPA/WHO/World Bank Special Programme on Research, Development, and Research Training in Human Reproduction, the International Partnership for Microbicides research, UNAIDS, the Flemish Government, and Australia Aid (AUSAid).
The 19th WAS World Congress for Sexual Health - Sexual Health & Rights: A Global Challenge - Goteberg, Sweden, June 21-25, 2009
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Brigitte M. Bagnol
 other talks by the speaker
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