An Intervention to Decrease Intravaginal Practices in HIV-Infected Women in Zambia: A Pilot Study

Intravaginal practices (IVP) are those in which women introduce products inside the vagina for hygienic, health, or sexuality reasons. IVP are associated with bacterial vaginosis (BV) and potentially implicated in HIV transmission. This report presents the results of a pilot study of a behavioral intervention to decrease IVP in HIV-infected women in Zambia. At baseline, all of the enrolled women (n = 40) engaged in IVP and rates of BV were high. Women receiving the intervention reported a decrease of the insertion of water and cloths inside the vagina. Communication with sexual partners regarding IVP was higher for women receiving the intervention. Results from this study suggest that a behavioral intervention could decrease IVP in HIV-infected women in Zambia and this may have an impact in decreasing HIV transmission from women to sexual partners and newborns.