RESUMO
To assess the acceptability and use of the female condom and diaphragm among female sex workers in the Dominican Republic, 243 participants were followed for 5 months. Participants received female and male condoms and a diaphragm along with proper counseling at monthly visits. Seventy-six percent reported used of female condom at least once during the final month of the study, compared with 50% that used the diaphragm with male condoms and 9% that used the diaphragm alone. The proportion of women reporting every sex act protected with some barrier method increased from 66% at first month to 77% at final month (p < 0.05). Participants reported higher acceptability and use of the female condom than the diaphragm. The introduction of female-controlled barrier methods resulted in the use of a wide range of prevention methods and a significant reduction in unprotected sex.
Assuntos
Preservativos Femininos/estatística & dados numéricos , Dispositivos Anticoncepcionais Femininos/estatística & dados numéricos , Aceitação pelo Paciente de Cuidados de Saúde , Trabalho Sexual/estatística & dados numéricos , Infecções Sexualmente Transmissíveis/prevenção & controle , Administração Intravaginal , Adolescente , Adulto , Anti-Infecciosos Locais/administração & dosagem , Preservativos/estatística & dados numéricos , Comportamento Contraceptivo/estatística & dados numéricos , República Dominicana , Feminino , Humanos , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Estudos Prospectivos , Fatores Socioeconômicos , Cremes, Espumas e Géis Vaginais/administração & dosagem , Adulto JovemRESUMO
This study examines the prevalence of contraindications to the use of oral contraceptives in Mexico by sociodemographic characteristics and by whether this family planning method was obtained with or without a doctor's prescription. Using data on smoking behavior and blood-pressure measurements from the 2000 Mexican National Health Survey, the authors found that, under the 1996 World Health Organization (WHO) medical eligibility guidelines, the prevalence of contraindications is low and that no significant differences in contraindications exist at any level between those who obtain oral contraceptives at clinics and those who obtain them at pharmacies. In 2000, however, WHO substantially revised its criteria regarding the level of hypertension that would constitute a contraindication for oral contraceptive use. Applying the new guidelines, the authors found that 10 percent of pill users younger than 35 and 33 percent aged 35 and older have health conditions that are either relative or absolute (Category 3 or 4) contraindications. The relevance of these findings to the larger debate concerning screening and over-the-counter access to oral contraceptives is discussed.