Women's experiences, preferences and perceptions regarding vaginal products: Results from a cross-sectional web-based survey in Portugal

Abstract

Objective We aimed to identify Portuguese women's experiences, preferences and perceptions regarding vaginal products.

Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted (February–May 2013) among Portuguese women (aged 18 to 65 years) using an online questionnaire. Descriptive and chi-squared statistics were applied.

Results Among 2529 women, 85.4% had used vaginal products, mostly to manage vulvovaginal infections (75.3%). Gels, creams and ointments (semi-solids) were the most frequently used (82%), followed by vaginal suppositories (56.5%) and tablets/capsules (41.8%), while vaginal rings were used by 10% of women. Semi-solids were preferred as an intravaginal medication both by women who had previously used them and by women who had never used an intravaginal product, while preference for vaginal rings was higher only among women who had previously used them. Even though 87.1% of all women considered vaginal drug delivery to be advantageous, the majority preferred to use oral products. Leakage (84.8%) and insertion difficulties (58.4%) were the main problems reported for vaginal products.

Conclusions Overall, semi-solids were the most used and preferred vaginal products, while vaginal rings were highly acceptable for women who had previously used them. Although they considered the vaginal route to be more efficient and safe, many women felt it to be less appealing than the oral route, particularly due to comfort issues.

Chinese Abstract

摘要 目的 我们的目的是确定葡萄牙妇女的经历，喜好和对阴道产品的看法。

方法 一个使用在线问卷（2013年2月- 5月）调查了葡萄牙妇女（18至65岁之间）的描述性横断面研究。使用描述性和卡方统计。

结果 在2529名妇女中，85.4% 曾使用了阴道产品，主要是为了治疗外阴阴道感染（75.3%）。凝胶、乳膏和软膏（半固体）是使用最频繁的（82%），其次是阴道栓剂（56.5%），片剂/胶囊（41.8%），而10%的妇女使用了阴道环。对于曾经使用过和从来没有使用阴道内产品的女性，阴道用药优选半固体，而只有之前使用过的阴道环的妇女才偏爱使用阴道环。即使87.1%的女性认为阴道给药是有利的，大多数人更倾向于使用口服产品。泄漏（84.8%）和放入困难（58.4%）是阴道产品存在的主要问题。

结论总体而言，半固体是最常用的和最喜欢的阴道产品，而阴道环是曾使用过它们的妇女更乐于接受。虽然他们认为阴道途径是更有效和安全的，但是很多女性觉得它是比口服途径缺乏吸引力，特别是由于舒适性问题。

Keywords:

• Vaginal products
• Women's acceptability
• Vaginal drug delivery
• Vaginal dosage forms
• Vaginal route

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL AVAILABLE ONLINE

Supplementary Digital Contents to be found online at http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/DOI:10.3109/13625187.2014.980501