Engaging Male Partners in Women’s Microbicide Use: Evidence and Recommendations

Engaging Male Partners in Women’s Microbicide Use: Evidence and Recommendations

August 2014 — Vaginal microbicides are considered a groundbreaking HIV prevention tool because women can use them without a male partner’s knowledge or consent. Male partners, however, have played an important role in product acceptability and adherence in clinical trials. Thus, a fundamental question to address is, “How can we balance the promotion of a method that does not require men’s involvement with the reality that men often play an important role in their partners’ effective use of this woman-centered technology?” This document synthesizes the evidence on men’s roles in women’s use of microbicides in clinical trials and makes recommendations for engaging male partners in future microbicides research and product introduction.