Patient Satisfaction With a Novel Postcoital Intravaginal Fluid-Absorbing Device
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate patient-reported symptom outcomes, usability, and vaginal pH after use of a postcoital intravaginal fluid-absorbing device. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, adult women who were sexually active with male partners used a postcoital intravaginal fluid-absorbing device after intercourse. Participants completed baseline symptom assessments and a postuse questionnaire evaluating discharge, odor, usability, and likelihood of reuse. A subset performed paired vaginal pH measurements at baseline and at 2–6 and 10–14 hours after intercourse under two conditions: intercourse without the device and intercourse followed by device use. Paired t tests were used for comparisons. RESULTS: A total of 542 participants enrolled; 291 (53.7%) completed the postuse questionnaire. Baseline postcoital symptoms were common, including discharge or dripping (87.6%), vaginal odor (64.9%), and a sensation of feeling unclean (58.1%). Among respondents, 98.0% reported improvement in postcoital discharge and 84.3% reported improvement in vaginal odor after device use. Most participants reported they would use the product again (93.1%) and recommend it to others (94.2%). Usability ratings were favorable, with 88.3% reporting ease of insertion and 93.1% reporting ease of removal. In the paired pH subset (n=48), mean vaginal pH was lower with device use compared with no device at 2–6 hours (5.2±0.9 vs 5.5±0.9, P =.025) and at 10–14 hours (4.6±0.6 vs 5.1±0.8, P <.001). CONCLUSION: Use of a postcoital intravaginal fluid-absorbing device was associated with improvement in patient-reported postcoital discharge and odor, high user acceptability, and lower vaginal pH after intercourse. These findings support further evaluation of nonpharmacologic approaches to managing common postcoital gynecologic symptoms. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT06530186.
Authors
- Ryan Sobel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1959-2910)
- Anne L. Ackerman
- Rachel Rubin
- Michael Ingber
Publication Details
- Journal
- O&G Open
- Published
- 2026-07-30
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1097/og9.0000000000000190
- Primary Topic
- Pelvic floor disorders treatments
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00