Short-term acceptability of the PATH Woman's Condom among couples at three sites

Purpose: The objective of this study is to evaluate acceptability of the PATH Woman's Condom among user populations in Mexico, South Africa and Thailand. Methods: A nonrandomized, nonblinded, nonsignificant risk study was conducted among 20 couples per site. Data were collected via structured questionnaires after the first, second and third condom uses and through in-depth interviews after all condoms were used. Results: Women from all sites reported that the PATH Woman's Condom was easy and comfortable to insert, and the pouch and ring were very stable during use. Both women and men reported that the comfort and sensation of sex while using the condom was acceptable. Conclusions: The PATH Woman's Condom is easy to use, stable during use, comfortable and satisfactory during sex among users from diverse populations and cultures. The iterative user-driven product development process helped ensure that this new product addresses a wide range of user preferences. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.