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Background: HIV endpoint-driven clinical trials increasingly provide oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) as standard of prevention during the trial, however, among participants desiring to continue using PrEP at trial exit, little is known about post-trial PrEP access and continued use. Methods: We conducted one-time, semi-structured, face-to-face, in-depth interviews with 13 women from Durban, South Africa, from November to December 2021. We interviewed women who initiated oral PrEP as part of the HIV prevention package during the Evidence for Contraceptive Options and HIV Outcomes (ECHO) Trial, elected to continue using PrEP at study exit, and were given a 3-month PrEP supply and referred to facilities for PrEP refills at the final trial visit. The interview guide probed for barriers and enablers to post-trial PrEP access, and current and future PrEP use. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Thematic analysis was facilitated using NVivo. Results: Of the 13 women, six accessed oral PrEP post-trial exit, but five later discontinued. The remaining seven women did not access PrEP. Barriers to post-trial PrEP access and continued use included PrEP facilities having long queues, inconvenient operating hours, and being located far from women's homes. Some women were unable to afford transport costs to collect PrEP. Two women reported visiting their local clinics and requesting PrEP but were informed that PrEP was unavailable at the clinic. Only one woman was still using PrEP at the time of the interview. She reported that the PrEP facility was located close to her home, staff were friendly, and PrEP education and counselling were provided. Most women not on PrEP reported wanting to use it again, particularly if barriers to access could be alleviated and PrEP was easily available at facilities. Conclusions: We identified several barriers to post-trial PrEP access. Strategies to enhance PrEP access such as a reduction in waiting queues, convenient facility operating hours, and making PrEP more widely available and accessible are needed. It is also worth noting that oral PrEP access has expanded in South Africa from 2018 till now and this could improve access to PrEP for participants exiting trials who desire to continue PrEP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The use of intrauterine devices (IUDs) and contraceptive implants in South Africa is low with limited data on patterns of use and reasons for discontinuation. We describe contraceptive preferences and reasons for discontinuation among women enrolled in the Evidence for Contraceptive Options and HIV Outcomes (ECHO) Trial from one trial site.Study Design: ECHO, conducted between 2015 and 2018, enrolled and randomized sexually active women, aged 16 to 35, and desiring contraception, to intramuscular depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA-IM), a copper intrauterine device (copper-IUD) or a levonorgestrel (LNG) implant; follow-up was 12 to 18 months. We interviewed 829 women at the Durban, South Africa trial site at ECHO Trial exit to ascertain contraceptive preferences at randomization. Reasons for randomized contraceptive discontinuation were collected at ECHO Trial exit and 6 months later. Data were analyzed descriptively.Results: At the final ECHO Trial visit, among women using their randomized contraceptive method (n = 757), 21% discontinued DMPA-IM, 20% discontinued LNG implant and 22% discontinued the copper-IUD. About a quarter from each group discontinued due to problems with bleeding. Among women continuing their randomized contraceptive at trial exit (n = 597), 25% discontinued DMPA-IM within 6 months of exiting the study, 8% discontinued LNG implant and 4% discontinued copper-IUD. A third of women reported wanting to be assigned DMPA-IM at randomization, 20% wanted the LNG implant and 18% the copper-IUD.Conclusions: Despite some women having preferences about which contraceptive they might be randomized to, discontinuation rates for all three methods at ECHO Trial exit and 6-month post-trial follow-up were low.Implications: Despite limited prior use of IUDs and implants among women enrolled in this study, and a desire by some women to not receive these methods at randomization, discontinuation rates remained low. The provision of quality contraceptive counselling and support may increase uptake and continued use of implants and IUDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]