- Spermicides are available in foam, jelly, suppositories and vaginal films.
- Spermicide works by creating a chemical and physical barrier inside the vagina by doing 2 things:
- Contains nonoxyl-9 which kills sperm or make them immobile
- Forming a temporary plug around the cervix
- Foams and gels can be used immediately. Vaginal films and suppositories require a 15 minute waitto get their effect.
- Effectiveness against pregnancy - failure rate 28 unintended pregnancies per 100 women in first year of typical useEach application is effective up to 1 hour and needs to be reapplied for each act of sex
- do not protect against HIV infection and two other common sexually transmitted infections – cervical gonorrhoea and chlamydia and may even increase the risk of HIV infection in women using these products frequently
- Needs to remain in the cervix for the next 6 hours
Advantages
- They are affordable but not available at most drug stores
- They provide lubrication during sex
Disadvantages
- They can be messy
- May cause skin irritation which can increase the risk of STI’s
- High failure rate in preventing pregnancy ( 28 per 100 women per year)
- Do not protect from STIs and some studies show an increase risk of HIV if used frequently