26 ASSESSING THE DESIRED QUALITIES OF MICROBICIDES Lalor M, Cwiak C, Jensen J. Introduction: Vaginal microbicides (VM) represent an important emerging class of potentially female-controlled contraceptive and anti-infective methods. To gauge the acceptability and guide development of novel VM, we conducted a survey to determine the level of interest and desired qualities of microbicides. Materials and Methods: Women who were N 15 years old were asked to complete an anonymous paper survey while waiting for their appointment at five health care clinics (three in Portland, OR, and two in Atlanta, GA) and in one public area (Atlanta). Survey questions and subsequent analyses identified qualities of greatest importance, interest level in microbicides and intended contextual use of microbicides. Results: A total of 401 women completed the survey. Subjects had a mean age of 25.6 years (SD=7.4 years) and parity of 1.45 (SD = 1.64), and 47.7% were non-Caucasian. Respondents showed moderate interest in HIV-preventing noncontraceptive-gel-based vaginal methods (visual analogue scale = 100 mm, mean = 53.82, SD = 39.58 mm, n =362) and significantly stronger interest in combining HIV-preventing and contraceptive methods (mean= 89.36 mm, SD = 20.7, n =363, p b .001). Respondents placed most importance on contraceptive efficacy (mean=89.9, SD=21.7), protection from sexually transmitted infections (STI) (mean = 85.3, SD=25.8) and protection from HIV (mean=82.9, SD=28.8). Although effective protection without a need for a condom was important (mean = 81.3, SD = 24.6), half (49.6%) of the respondents reported they would use another form of protection in conjunction with HIV-preventing and pregnancy-preventing microbicides. Conclusions: A diverse sample of women report substantial interest in VM that are capable of preventing HIV, STI and pregnancy. An HIV-only-preventing formula is of interest to some women. Almost half of the respondents would use microbicides as part of a dual method. 27 ATTITUDES TOWARD AND EXPERIENCES WITH THE CONTRACEPTIVE VAGINAL RING AMONG RACIAL/ETHNIC MINORITY ADOLESCENTS Epstein L, Sokal-Gutierrez K, Ivey S, Raine T, Auerswald C. Introduction: The vaginal ring is a combined intravaginal– hormonal contraceptive that may offer advantages for women at risk for unintended pregnancy. However, the initial acceptance and use of the ring have been low. Understanding adolescent and racial/ ethnic minority users’ attitudes may contribute to a broader use of the ring. Materials and Methods: We conducted 32 semistructured individual interviews with racial/ethnic minority women aged 15–24 years who had used the vaginal ring. Participants were recruited from four family planning clinics in the San Francisco Bay Area. Major narrative themes were identified and analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Results: Participants were all racial/ethnic minority youths. Most participants were initially concerned about inserting some- thing into the vagina and about the ring not being an effective contraceptive method. After successful provider interactions and a period of adjustment using the vaginal ring, most were satisfied with it and would recommend it to friends. Six major themes emerged from the interviews: (a) initial reactions of skepticism and an adjustment period; (b) the provider role as instrumental in patient education; (c) the effect of novelty on participants’ willingness to use the ring; (d) the impact of the ring on sexual intercourse; (e) attitudes toward touching the vagina; and (f) concerns about cleanliness. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that young women’s limited use of the vaginal ring may be due to lack of knowledge and initial apprehensions. Increased provider awareness regarding these attitudes may help them be more effective in helping young women overcome their apprehensions. 28 BASELINE COLPOSCOPIC FINDINGS IN WOMEN ENTERING STUDIES ON FEMALE VAGINAL PRODUCTS O’Neill E, Creinin MD, Smith T. Introduction: Colposcopy is commonly used for genital tract assessment in safety studies on female-controlled vaginal products. The objective of the study was to categorize the type and the frequency of lesions found on baseline colposcopy evaluation in healthy women with no abnormal Pap smears, vaginal symptoms or infections, and to analyze natural vaginal and cervical changes due to environmental factors. Materials and Methods: Thirteen studies on vaginal products completed in our research office, for which colposcopic evalua- tions were performed according to the WHO/CONRAD Manual for the Standardization of Colposcopy for the Evaluation of Vaginal Products , were identified. All of these studies included an aim of identifying colposcopic changes as a means of monitoring the safety of a vaginal product or device. The frequency and the location of genital lesions, along with birth control method and smoking status, were recorded for each baseline colposcopy. Results: A total of 317 lesions were found on 569 baseline colposcopy evaluations, with 192 women (34%) having at least one lesion on baseline examination. The most commonly identified lesions were petechiae and erythema, which accounted for 45% and 37% of lesions, respectively. Seventy-three percent of lesions were located on the cervix, whereas 15% of lesions were located on the vaginal wall or fornix. Conclusions: This study shows how frequently lesions are found during colposcopy in healthy women. Future researchers may use this chart review to define a sample of a baseline population when evaluating the effects of vaginal products using colposcopy. 29 CHANGES IN FORMAL SEX EDUCATION: 1995–2002 Lindberg L, Santelli J, Singh S, Finer L. Introduction: Although comprehensive sexuality education is broadly supported, prior research has suggested that abstinence- only education is becoming more common and that teaching about contraception has declined. Materials and Methods: This analysis examines changes between 1995 and 2002 in male and female adolescents’ reports of the Abstracts / Contraception 74 (2006) 178 – 197 186