In the meantime

Yes, you read the title correctly.  It seems that researchers have found a way to eliminate the need for condoms and the results could be a paradigm shift in women’s sexual health.  What if women could protect themselves in a simple way without needing a partner’s (consentual or otherwise) permission?  In some places, that sounds like a stupid statement.  In others, it’s a matter of life and death.

From Newsweek:

“A new, more-promising iteration of the long-heralded HIV-blocking vaginal gel may one day become a reality, according to a study published online yesterday in the journal Advanced Functional Materials. But as the dream product crawls towards the marketplace, scientists worry that the biggest challenge—getting women to actually use it, or any gel like it—still lies ahead.

Unlike previous versions of microbicide, the latest gel functions more like an actual condom. It’s applied via applicator in the hour or so before sex and turns semisolid in the presence of semen, physically blocking HIV (and theoretically, other viruses and semen, too) from moving through the vagina in the first place. (The gel dissolves after sex.) “It’s the first microbicide of its kind,” says Patrick Kiser, a bioengineer at the University of Utah and the study’s lead author. “It prevents the virus from even touching the vaginal tissue.” The novel polymer concoction could see its first clinical trial in three years and if all goes well, be available for widespread use a few years after that.

The need for HIV-prevention methods that women can control is undeniably urgent. Women account for half of all HIV infections globally; in sub-Saharan Africa, where the disease is most prevalent, they make up 60 percent of cases. The reason is simple: women in the region lack the power to compel their sexual partners to wear condoms. For a decade now, scientists have been working to develop an HIV-blocking vaginal gel, a microbicide often called a molecular condom. This form of protection could be employed without the consent of a partner and has long been seen as the best hope for empowering women to protect themselves.”

In the meantime, we strongly suggest the use of a condom for protection.

Related posts:

1. One More Follow Up On The Condoms
2. Researchers Seeking Used Condoms
3. Condoms, anyone?
4. Condoms and Porn
5. Big, fluffy, plush, soft, condoms?

Tags: Condoms, Sexual Health

This entry was posted on Friday, August 21st, 2009 at 7:43 am and is filed under News, Research, Sexual Health, Sexual Health and Safety. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.