As microbicide development continues, an understanding of product acceptability, including timing of application, is imperative. Among young women using a microbicide surrogate there was tremendous variation in actual timing-of-use versus assigned timing conditions. Overall product assessments were positive, including ease of use and comfort during sex. These results have implications for how microbicides will be used by and should be marketed to young women.

This study examined associations between perceived gender relations, sexual communication ability and actual use of condoms or other contraceptives among undergraduate female students in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. Results showed that the greater a female student’s perception that women were subordinate to men, the lower her self-efficacy for sexual communication and the lower her actual frequency of discussing safer sex matters and asking her partner to use a condom.

The professional attitudes and practice of health care workers towards clients from vulnerable groups can affect the quality of care. This article presents the results of a study on health care worker’s attitude and behavior towards PLHIV and vulnerable communities in Fiji. Health care workers negative attitudes and behavior is a barrier to equal access to health care services. Empowering staff through further education training in HIV could improve quality of care in the health care facilities.

HIV infections among men who have sex with men are increasing in Japan. This study analysed the relationship between age and unprotected anal sex (UAI) in gay bar customers in Osaka. The highest rates of UAI were in the ≥45 and ≤24 age groups. Differing factors were associated with UAI by age group. Findings indicate that condom use promotion programs are needed for younger and older men who have sex with men.

An illustration of the use of mapping and regression methods was carried out to examine the spatial gaps that exist between sexually transmitted infection (STI) services and morbidity using 2007 county-level data on chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis from Texas. Geocoded STI service (STI and family planning (FP) clinics) locations was overlaid on Texas county-level STI categorical morbidity map. Results indicated that having STI service was not associated with high morbidity.

An online planning intervention tool could support contraceptive decision-making and improve contraceptive use in adolescents attending sexual health services. The feasibility and acceptability of such an approach must be explored however, so that staff buy-in and sustainability of such an intervention can be established for this approach. This paper provides analysis of sexual health professionals’ feedback on a prototype of such a tool and discusses implications for practice.

This audit assessed adherence to the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Department of Health, Western Australia guidelines for sexually transmitted infection testing in seven WA public hospitals in 2007 (baseline audit) and 2010 (follow-up audit). Adherence to testing at the first antenatal visit in accordance with the guidelines improved over time. Chlamydia prevalence was 3% and 8% among on Aboriginal and Aboriginal women, respectively.

Hospitalisation records for ectopic pregnancy and infertility in women aged 15-44 years in NSW between 2001 and 2008 were examined for trends and compared to chlamydia notifications in the same population over the same time period. Record-linkage was used to account for repeat events in the same women in a single year. While the rate of chlamydia diagnoses were found to increase, there was little change in ectopic pregnancy and infertility admissions.

Online facilities to encourage gay men to participate in the key STI prevention strategies of frequent STI testing and partner notification are urgently needed. Our evaluation of www.whytest.org showed high awareness of campaign images, online STI testing reminders becoming increasingly popular with SMS and email being equally popular, while the SMS partner notification facility was vastly more popular than e-postcard notifications.

This study compared the prevalence and associated factors of inconsistent condom use during commercial sex between female sex workers who inject drugs (FSW-IDUs) and who do not inject drugs (FSW-NIDUs). Only 16.5% of the FSW-IDUs and 51.3% of the FSW-NIDUs reported using condoms consistently with clients in the last month (Odds Ratio=0.19). FSW-IDUs were more likely than FSW-NIDUs to possess cognitive and psycho-social conditions that were associated with unprotected commercial sex.

This qualitative study examines infertility perceptions of environmental risks (contaminants, STIs, lifestyle habits) in 40 ethnically diverse, male and female university students from Ottawa, Canada. Young adults exhibit a general understanding of environmental risks to infertility but are overly optimistic that healthy lifestyle behaviours will safeguard future fertility. Participants were only superficially aware of associations between sexually transmitted infections and infertility; supporting a continued need for comprehensive sexual health education.

This paper describes the trends in testing and notification for genital gonorrhoea in the Darwin Remote District of Northern Territory, Australia, during 2004-2008. Based on the analysis of testing data, it is most likely that the decreasing trend in notification rates during the period was due to a decrease in prevalence. The study also demonstrates the importance and utility of population-level testing data in understanding the epidemiology of common sexually transmitted infections.

This report describes a patient with symptomatic Trichomonas vaginalis infection who was unable to tolerate nitroimidazole drugs because of severe hypersensitivity for which desensitization was not possible. A 2-month course of intravaginal topical boric acid subsequently achieved complete symptomatic cure and the patient remained T. vaginalis wet prep- and culture-negative 60 days after treatment.

One in six sexual health clinic attendees diagnosed with anogenital gonorrhoea had concurrent chlamydial co-infection. No demographic, behavioural or clinical predictors of co-infection were identified. Anti-chlamydial therapy should be considered for all patients with gram-stain-diagnosed anogenital gonorrhoea at the initial clinic visit.