Use of female controlled microbicidal products for HIV risk reduction

Many over-the-counter microbicidal contraceptive methods reduce the risk of acquiring sexually transmitted diseases. This pilot project compared the u se of female controlled barrier methods in an extremely high-risk populatio n of low-income drug abusing women following an intervention designed to pr omote HIV risk reduction and barrier use. An HIV transmission risk reductio n interactive intervention emphasizing self-esteem, assertiveness and sexua l negotiation was offered to 41 drug dependent women. Participants were ran domly assigned to one of two conditions, a male and female condom condition or a male and female condom plus N-9 products (vaginal suppositories, film , gel) condition. Results from the three-month follow-up period suggest tha t there may be a synergistic effect of availability of multiple protective methods on the overall rate of protective behaviours. The use of the male c ondom for penile/vaginal sex increased from 19% at study entry to 27% durin g the three-month follow-up period. The total protected sexual episode rate , calculated to include use of the other protective barriers distributed, w as 60%. Thus, the condom use rate was not found to decrease because of the availability of alternative methods of protection. Future research should a ddress the use of microbicidal products to empower women to prevent STD/HIV transmission.