ArticleAIDS and behavior2020
Hygiene, Blood Flow, and Vaginal Overload: Why Women Removed an HIV Prevention Vaginal Ring During Menstruation in Malawi, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
Article in AIDS and behavior, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 27 citations in OpenAlex.
- HIV Prevention Product Acceptability and Preference Among Women in Sub-Saharan Africa to Inform Novel Biomedical Options in Development: A Systematic Review.AIDS and behavior · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Preference, adherence, and acceptability of 3 nonmedicated intravaginal rings of differing external diameters: a randomized, crossover trial.American journal of obstetrics and gynecology · 2025Trial
- Patterns of Adherence to a Dapivirine Vaginal Ring for HIV-1 Prevention Among South African Women in a Phase III Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) · 2022Trial
- Acceptability and Preference for 3-Month Versus 1-Month Vaginal Rings for HIV-1 Risk Reduction Among Participants in a Phase 1 Trial.Journal of women's health (2002) · 2022Trial
- Correlates of Adherence to the Dapivirine Vaginal Ring for HIV-1 Prevention.AIDS and behavior · 2021Trial
- Phase 1 pharmacokinetics and safety study of extended duration dapivirine vaginal rings in the United States.Journal of the International AIDS Society · 2021Trial
- The Power of the Shared Experience: MTN-020/ASPIRE Trial Participants' Descriptions of Peer Influence on Acceptability of and Adherence to the Dapivirine Vaginal Ring for HIV Prevention.AIDS and behavior · 2020Trial
- Impact of Male Partner Involvement on Women's Adherence to the Dapivirine Vaginal Ring During a Phase III HIV Prevention Trial.AIDS and behavior · 2020Trial
- Estimated adherence to the Dapivirine Vaginal Ring and its associated factors among African women: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Adherence to the Dapivirine Vaginal Ring Among Cisgender Women in Africa: Protocol for a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Health science reports · 2025Article
- Understanding PrEP misconceptions and their impact on PrEP initiation and use among pregnant and lactating women in Malawi.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- "I will find the best method that will work for me": navigating contraceptive journeys amongst South African adolescent girls and young women.Contraception and reproductive medicine · 2024Article
- Color, Scent and Size: Exploring Women's Preferences Around Design Characteristics of Drug-Releasing Vaginal Rings.AIDS and behavior · 2022Article
- Use of simulated vaginal and menstrual fluids to modelInternational journal of pharmaceutics: X · 2021Article
- Qualitative Perceptions of Dapivirine VR Adherence and Drug Level Feedback Following an Open-Label Extension Trial.Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) · 2021Article
- Long-acting approaches for delivery of antiretroviral drugs for prevention and treatment of HIV: a review of recent research.Expert opinion on drug delivery · 2020Review
- Power, danger, and secrecy-A socio-cultural examination of menstrual waste management in urban Malawi.PloS one · 2020Article
- Topical delivery of long-acting antiretrovirals to prevent HIV acquisition.Current opinion in HIV and AIDS · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors at 6 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
We assessed the interference between vaginal ring use and menses among women who participated in the qualitative component of the MTN-020/ASPIRE vaginal ring trial in Malawi, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe (N = 214). A common reason for imperfect ring adherence and premature removal of the vaginal ring cited by participants related to vaginal bleeding or menses. Whereas self-reporting via survey questions suggested that the majority (60%) of women did not mind wearing the ring while menstruating, and did not remove it (91%) during menses, in the qualitative interviews women frequently described removing the ring during menses. Their reasons included hygiene, beliefs that the ring blocked the flow of menstrual blood, fears that the ring would come out with blood or during tampon removal, and concerns around an 'overburdened' vagina. Examining women's narratives and subjective experiences related to menstruation helps build a better understanding of factors affecting ring use and adherence.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.