Intravaginal Practices and Prevalence of Sexual and Reproductive Tract Infections Among Women in Rural Malawi

BACKGROUNDMany women engage in intravaginal practices (IVP) with a goal of improving genital hygiene and increasing sexual pleasure. Intravaginal practices can disrupt the genital mucosa, and some studies have found that IVP increases risk of acquisition of HIV and bacterial vaginosis (BV). Limited...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sexually transmitted diseases 2016-12, Vol.43 (12), p.750-755
Main Authors: Esber, Allahna, Rao, Nisha, Norris, Alison, Reese, Patricia Carr, Kandodo, Jonathan, Nampandeni, Patrick, Jumbe, Enock, Turner, Abigail Norris
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Associations
Bacterial vaginosis
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Health risks
Herpes Genitalis - epidemiology
Herpes Genitalis - virology
Herpes simplex
Herpes viruses
Herpesviridae
Herpesvirus 2, Human - isolation & purification
High risk
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus
Human papillomavirus
Humans
Hygiene
Infections
Lentivirus
Malawi - epidemiology
Middle Aged
Mucosa
Original Study
Papillomaviridae
Papillomaviridae - isolation & purification
Papillomavirus Infections - epidemiology
Papillomavirus Infections - virology
Pleasure
Population studies
Prevalence
Reproductive health
Reproductive system
Reproductive Tract Infections - epidemiology
Reproductive Tract Infections - microbiology
Retroviridae
Risk
Risk factors
Risk groups
Rural communities
Sexual behavior
Sexually transmitted diseases
STD
Urinary tract infections
Vaginal Douching - adverse effects
Vaginal Douching - methods
Vaginal Douching - statistics & numerical data
Vaginosis
Vaginosis, Bacterial - epidemiology
Vaginosis, Bacterial - microbiology
Viruses
Women
Womens health
Young Adult
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Summary:BACKGROUNDMany women engage in intravaginal practices (IVP) with a goal of improving genital hygiene and increasing sexual pleasure. Intravaginal practices can disrupt the genital mucosa, and some studies have found that IVP increases risk of acquisition of HIV and bacterial vaginosis (BV). Limited prior research also suggests significant associations between IVP, herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), and high-risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV). METHODSWe examined associations between IVP and HPV, BV, and HSV-2 among 200 women in rural Malawi participating in a clinic-based study on sexual and reproductive tract infections. We calculated prevalence ratios for the associations between frequency and type of IVP and outcomes of HPV, BV, and HSV-2. RESULTSIntravaginal practices were commonly performed, with 95% of women reporting current use of at least 1 practice. Infections were also frequently detectedTwenty-two percent of the sample had at least 1 high-risk HPV type, 51% had BV, and 50% were HSV-2 seropositive. We observed no significant associations between type of IVP, frequency of IVP, or a combined measure capturing type and frequency of IVP—and any of the infection outcomes. CONCLUSIONSAlthough both IVP and our outcomes of interest (BV, HPV, and HSV-2) were common in the study population, we did not detect associations between IVP type or frequency and any of the 3 infections. However, the high prevalence and frequency of IVP may have limited our ability to detect significant associations.
ISSN:0148-5717
1537-4521
DOI:10.1097/OLQ.0000000000000531