the spermicide situation
Unpublished post, originally written 10/13/08 for my now defunct state of sex education blog on gURL.
I have to say, spermicide seems like a really good idea. Just squirt some goop into your vagina and expect to be protected from pregnancy and infections.
Unfortunately like many good ideas, this one still needs some tweaking.
It’s not that spermicide is pointless. Using it is far better than not using anything. But it is actually one of the least effective methods of modern birth control around. Plus, spermicide does nothing to prevent STDs. (Only microbicides can do that, and well, that technology is lagging even further behind).
According to Family Health International, with typical use, a woman has a 26% chance of becoming pregnant if she only uses spermicide as birth control over the course of a year.
That’s way worse than the pill, which with average use, only gives a woman a 5% chance of pregnancy. It’s also worse than condoms which offer between 85% and 99% protection from pregnancy.
But what exactly is spermicide? Basically, a spermicide is a gel, cream, foam or film that can be inserted into the vagina or applied to a condom. It is made of a detergent that is supposed to kill sperm. The problem is, millions of sperm are released every time a man ejaculates, and spermicide won’t kill them all.
Some people get allergic reactions from spermicide. In that case, you probably don’t want to use it at all. Otherwise, it is generally okay to use with another form of birth control. But use spermicicde alone, and pregnancy is a very real possibility.
Have you ever used spermicide? How did that work out?
