Sandala L, Lurie P, Sunkutu M R, Chani E M, Hudes E S, Hearst N
Department of Dermato-Venereology, University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia.
AIDS. 1995 Jul;9 Suppl 1:S61-8.
To describe 'dry sex' practices intended to decrease vaginal secretions and to determine whether these practices are related to HIV infection.
A cross-sectional study was conducted in a sexually transmitted diseases clinic in a teaching hospital in Lusaka, Zambia. The subjects comprised 329 women aged 15-50 years presenting consecutively for an initial evaluation of sexually transmitted disease symptoms. Dry sex practices were assessed by questionnaire, and serological testing for HIV antibodies was performed.
Fifty percent of women had engaged in at least one dry sex practice. The most common practices were drinking 'porridge' (a liquid or suspension believed to cause drying of the vagina; 28%), removing vaginal secretions with a cloth (22%) and placing leaves in the vagina (11%). The most frequent reasons given for drinking porridge were to increase the partner's sexual enjoyment and to tighten the vagina, while cleaning the vagina was mentioned often by those using cloth or leaves. Swelling or peeling of the vagina was reported by approximately 10% of women using cloth or leaves. Overall, the HIV seroprevalence in the sample was 58%. In bivariate analysis, no practice was statistically significantly associated with HIV infection. Multiple logistic regression had little impact on these findings.
Although a variety of practices with potential relevance to HIV transmission were reported, there was no evidence in this study population of a strong relationship between these practices and HIV infection. Women should be counseled about the potential risks of these practices, but prevention efforts should continue to emphasize measures of known effectiveness, particularly limiting the numbers of sexual partners, consistently using condoms and obtaining appropriate treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.
描述旨在减少阴道分泌物的“干性性行为”做法，并确定这些做法是否与艾滋病毒感染有关。
在赞比亚卢萨卡一家教学医院的性传播疾病诊所进行了一项横断面研究。研究对象包括329名年龄在15至50岁之间、因性传播疾病症状首次前来评估的女性。通过问卷调查评估干性性行为做法，并进行艾滋病毒抗体血清学检测。
50%的女性至少进行过一种干性性行为。最常见的做法是饮用“粥”（一种据信会导致阴道干燥的液体或混悬液；28%）、用布清除阴道分泌物（22%）以及在阴道内放置树叶（11%）。饮用粥最常见的原因是增加伴侣的性快感和收紧阴道，而使用布或树叶的人经常提到清洁阴道。约10%使用布或树叶的女性报告有阴道肿胀或脱皮现象。总体而言，样本中的艾滋病毒血清阳性率为58%。在双变量分析中，没有任何一种做法与艾滋病毒感染有统计学上的显著关联。多元逻辑回归对这些结果影响不大。
尽管报告了多种可能与艾滋病毒传播相关的做法，但在该研究人群中，没有证据表明这些做法与艾滋病毒感染之间存在密切关系。应向女性提供有关这些做法潜在风险的咨询，但预防工作应继续强调已知有效的措施，特别是限制性伴侣数量、始终使用避孕套以及对性传播疾病进行适当治疗。
