We are pleased to announce the launch of the IMPT Advisory Council – a group tasked with providing strategic guidance for the IMPT network, with a particular emphasis on sustainability and new stakeholder engagement.

Yes! Yes! We soon may have a ring for our vaginas! I know what you are thinking; vaginal rings have been here since sliced bread. True, but what’s new about this one is that it will provide protection from HIV. Future rings will also include protection from unintended pregnancies and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), too. And when that ring is available, I am putting it in! Because I like my vagina, and I want to stay healthy.

Incorporating what women want into new sexual and reproductive health products is essential

We at PATH make it our business to reflect on the elusive topic of ‘what women want’—in terms of protection options in their sexual and reproductive lives. Not surprisingly, the answer is complex. Women want and need different things at different stages of their lifecycle, depending on the circumstances of their lives.

Leveraging its experience developing the first vaginal ring and long-acting product shown to help prevent HIV, the nonprofit International Partnership for Microbicides is now developing a three-month vaginal ring designed to reduce women’s HIV risk and prevent unplanned pregnancy. This innovative multipurpose prevention technology would offer women a discreet option to protect their sexual and reproductive health on their own terms.

“It finally happened! We had sex! And how romantic that it was on Valentine’s Day, right?” Jen, one of the first friends I made in college, could barely contain herself as she shared this news while walking with me to the university café. She then hesitated, “The only thing is, he didn’t have a condom. Do you think I’ll be okay?”