Duet for menstrual protection: a feasibility study in Zimbabwe
Abstract
Background Managing menses is a challenge for women in developing countries. Duet is a cervical barrier being developed for contraception and STI prevention. We explored the hypothetical acceptability of using Duet as a menstrual cup, among Zimbabwean women.Study design A survey and focus group discussions (FGD) were conducted with 43 women aged 18-45 years to gain information about their menstrual practices and attitudes regarding the use of Duet for menstrual protection.Results All 43 women reported that if Duet were available, they would "definitely" try it, and that it was "very important" that Duet is low cost and easy to clean; 86% reported that using it would make a difference in their lives. FGD findings highlighted unhygienic practices due to the lack of affordable options for menstrual management and a genuine interest in Duet, including its potential use for multiple purposes (contraception, disease prevention and menstrual protection).Conclusions Accessing affordable and hygienic menstrual protection was a problem for these Zimbabwean women. Duet appeared acceptable and it would be feasible to conduct a user-acceptability study of Duet as a menstrual cup in Zimbabwe.
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Inserted products including menstrual cups and tampons were not considered culturally appropriate in this population.
“Inserted products including menstrual cups and tampons were not considered culturally appropriate in this population, but may present another alternative to reusable pads for future studies.25 29–33”
From Measuring the prevalence and impact of poor menstrual hygiene management: A quantitative survey of schoolgirls in rural Uganda (2016) · cites this paper as [31]
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- Authors
- Averbach, S., Sahin-Hodoglugil, N., Musara, P., Chipato, T., & van der Straten, A.
- Affiliations
- University of California, San Francisco (US)
- University of Zimbabwe-University of California San Francisco (ZW)
- Corresponding author
- Averbach, Sarah
- Venue
- Contraception
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2009-06
- Volume
- 79
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 463-468
- ISSN
- 0010-7824 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2009006810
- Cited by
- 47
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2025: 3 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 2.34
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Contraception (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- University of California, San Francisco
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Menstrual Health and Disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Reproductive Health and Contraception
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › International Human Rights and Reproductive Law
- Keywords
- menstrual cups, user acceptance, menstrual hygiene, STD prevention, Zimbabwean women
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Developing Countries, Feasibility Studies, Female, Humans, Menstruation, Middle Aged, Zimbabwe, Menstrual Hygiene Products, Young Adult
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