Cultural Motivations Drive Intravaginal Practices Among Haitian Migrant Women in Florida

Haitian migrant women in South Florida widely practice intravaginal cleansing and insertion routines, and a new mixed-methods study suggests these behaviors are deeply rooted in cultural expectations rather than incidental habits. The research, published in PLOS Global Public Health, combined in-depth interviews with a structured survey to document what products women use, why they use them, and how specific gynecologic concerns guide their choices.

The exploratory sequential design began with semi-structured qualitative interviews with 25 Haitian migrant women recruited through community-based centers using active and passive approaches. Every woman in this interview sample, 100 percent, confirmed using intravaginal practices. The qualitative findings then shaped survey items administered to 151 women, of whom 68.9 percent, or 104 participants, reported such practices. The study was exploratory and used a convenience sample, so the prevalence figures describe this South Florida cohort rather than Haitian migrant women generally.

Interviews revealed that most women began these practices either during puberty or after their sexual debut, pointing to early socialization into norms about vaginal care. Products spanned plant and herbal agents, astringent washes, and antibiotics, and participants frequently selected particular products to address specific gynecologic indications, a pattern consistent across both the interview and survey samples.

In the quantitative sample, pigeon pea, known in Haitian Creole as pwa kongo, was the most frequently used product, reported by 74 women, or 71.2 percent of those practicing intravaginal routines. Chi-square analysis with a Bonferroni adjustment found pigeon pea use was associated with nearly all measured indications, with p-values of 0.004 or lower. Intravaginal practices have previously been linked in the literature to increased risk of human papillomavirus infection, and Haitian migrant women in the United States experience disproportionate rates of cervical cancer, making the behavioral context clinically relevant.

The authors caution that little has been known about Haitian migrant women’s perceptions and motivations underlying these practices, which this study begins to fill. Given the high prevalence observed, they argue that researchers and practitioners should further examine both the meaningful health risks and any protective effects associated with intravaginal practices, rather than treating them solely as a risk behavior to be discouraged.

Subject of Research: Intravaginal practices and gynecologic health motivations among Haitian migrant women

Article Title: Understanding intravaginal practices for gynecologic health among Haitian migrant women: A mixed-methods analysis

Article References: Guillaume, D., Amédée, L. M., Alcaide, M., Chepkorir, J., Gresh, A., Augustin, A., Baptiste, L. J., & Alexander, K. (2026). Understanding intravaginal practices for gynecologic health among Haitian migrant women: A mixed-methods analysis. PLOS Global Public Health, 6(10), e0007394. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0007394

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0007394

Keywords: intravaginal practices, Haitian migrant women, cervical cancer, HPV, pigeon pea, mixed methods, South Florida, gynecologic health, cultural expectations, women's health, Understanding, intravaginal