Michael Gwarisa
For many American women, the fear of an unintended pregnancy outweighs concerns about HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, according to new research on multipurpose vaginal rings.
The findings are detailed in a new peer-reviewed study titled “Multipurpose vaginal rings: preferences from a national discrete choice experiment survey among US women.”
The study was led by Ann Gottert, with contributions from Sanyukta Mathur, Barbara A. Friedland, Timothy Abuya, Irene V. Bruce, Brady Burnett-Zieman, Marlena G. Plagianos, Shakti Shetty, Jessica M. Sales, and colleagues, and senior authorship by Lisa B. Haddad.
Drawing on a national survey of more than 2,100 women across the United States, the research explores how women prioritise effectiveness, hormonal content, side effects, and use patterns when considering future multipurpose vaginal rings designed to prevent pregnancy, HIV, other STIs, and bacterial vaginosis.
The findings show that pregnancy prevention remains women’s top priority, valued about twice as much as HIV prevention and three times more than protection against other STIs. Younger women, aged 18–29, placed even greater emphasis on preventing pregnancy and HIV than older participants.
Importantly, 73% of respondents said they would likely use a non-hormonal vaginal ring offering moderate protection, around 80% effectiveness against pregnancy and 50% against HIV and STIs. This challenges the assumption that women will only accept products with very high effectiveness across all conditions.
While many participants welcomed added benefits such as BV prevention and no menstrual side effects, being non-hormonal was critical mainly for women who already dislike hormonal contraception, a group that made up 61% of the sample. Contrary to expectations, women did not strongly prefer on-demand use, suggesting that continuous-use products may still be acceptable.
The study also highlights that women are willing to trade some pregnancy prevention effectiveness in exchange for features they value, such as fewer side effects or broader protection.
Researchers say the results underscore the importance of user-centred product design, noting that preferences vary based on age, reproductive history, and perceived HIV risk. As global rates of unintended pregnancy and STIs remain high, especially among women, MPTs could offer a more convenient, stigma-reducing option.
