Vaginal Drying Agents and HIV Transmission

Volume 24, Number 2, June 1998 result of a curse or bad luck.7 In Senegal, drying agents may be used where there is a community belief that the vagina is not simply a natural part of the body, but must bear the mark of artistic “work.”8 Both men and women have expressed preference for vaginal dryness and tightness during intercourse. In Zaire,9 as well as in Zimbabwe,10 it is reported to increase sexual satisfaction and pleasure for both partners. Hence, lubrication is not considered an essential element in pleasurable sexual intercourse. In Zimbabwe, both college-educated women11 and women who have not attended college12 have reported that using vaginal drying agents made them “like a virgin,” and that this enhanced their partner’s sexual pleasure. Some herbs are also believed to “heat up the woman’s body,” causing heat and friction during intercourse and heightened male sexual stimulation.13