A recent study on products that can protect women from contracting HIV has finally achieved a breakthrough with PRO 2000. This vaginal gel has been tested and has revealed its effectiveness against HIV infection in 36% of cases.
Although this study is not yet definite it is extremely promising, for no other products tested had ever given such positive results.
However this research sponsored by the NIH has still to confirm the effectiveness of PRO 2000, it will be up to a more extended test, which is being carried out on 9,400 African women.
The research involved 3,000 women with a dynamic sex life from African countries and the U.S.; four separate groups used diverse gel products to determine the different level of effectiveness against HIV infection.
Amongst those women who used PRO 2000, 36 were infected by HIV, while 54 of those using BufferGel and 51 using placebo contracted the disease. 53 women who used no gel at all were infected by HIV.
During the research the women were given preservatives and were advised to use them in addition to the protective gels, though many amongst those using the gel admitted they had not done so.
These results were unsettling because they confirmed that women are becoming too confident in gels, which are still not as protective as condoms (female condoms) against HIV infection.
