Intravaginal prevention pill

[Mary Hough]

Dear all @ sexinfo.
My girlfriend prefers unsheathed intercourse, so do I of course, and so she has opted for a pill which can be inserted into the vagina 5mins before kick off. It releases a spermicide gel which then has an effective time-window of up to three hours. I have read many of the articles and posts relating to birthcontrol, here at sex info, but there is no mention of such a method. I don't have a name for this product - my girlfriend lives a broad - but if there is anyone with more info, stats or advice regarding this - I would love to hear. It's a feel good method but I'd love some back up on the safety side.

[Brandye]

There are many ways to get the chemicals (spermicides) into the vagina to stop those little devils from doing the one thing that they do. And with billions of them in every ejaculation, that takes some doing.

Right off I can think of foam, jelly, film, sponge and suppositories. The jelly and foam can be inserted with a multi-use applicator or is packaged in its own single use "inserter." The ancient Greeks (and certainly others) soaked a natural sponge in lemon juice. Other cultures have mixed lemon juice or tobacco juice or other other acidic juices with honey and inserted them with a thing similar to a cake decorator. The oldest know pessary recipe was found in Egypt from about 4,000 years ago. It was a for a mixture of honey and crocodile dung. There was no mention of how she got that into her vagina. Chemical testing has shown that this mixture would be about as effective as the modern foams!

The pill that you refer to is almost certainly a suppository. They were quite popular in Europe and N. America several decades ago and are still available. Semicid and Zonitor are two brands I remember. In the developing world, these are still popular methods of birth control. They are about as effective as the other spermicides used alone. That is to say of 100 women using them for a year, fifteen will become pregnant. Used with a condom, this is improved greatly.

They are cheap, easy to use, rarely have side effects (mainly irritation and itching) and require no prescription. They must be allowed time to melt - usually about ten minutes at body temperature. I can recall one time that I used a contraceptive suppositaory a day or so after my period. We did not wait long enough and his semen washed out a little pellet about half the size of the original. Looong month!

These may provide some protection against bacterial STDs but not against viral STDs. I rarely see them at the chemists (pharmacy, drug store) anymore but they are still around. Put "contraceptive suppository" in a search engine and you will find lots of information.

[Mary Hough]

Thanks honey! The country in question is Estonia, so yes, still a developing country; but fortunately my lady friend is already very well developed. That is besides the point. My point is still this: is there a feel good contaception, ie. with a bare willy, for short term relationships? - we only get to see eachother once in a while for what becomes a very intense week or two.

[Brandye]

That is a very different question.

Answer: that is about as safe as it gets for short term protection. Next step is IUD or a hormonal method. These are more properly long term methodss.

[Mary Hough]

And one more question which your recommended search didin't answer: does showering/ bathing influence the effectiveness of a spermicide, suppository or otherwise?

[Brandye]

Virtually all spermicides are in a water soluble vehicle. Water does not usually gain entrance to the vagina whilst bathing or showering. It will wash the spermicide from the outer lips but will not wash it from the vagina. Douching, however, should not be done with spermicides, if at all, until several hours after intercourse. A diaphragm, for instance, should be left in place with its spermicide for 6-8 hours.

On the other hand the sponge manufactured in Canada claims that it can be removed safely right after intercourse or, in place, will remain effective for several hours. The sponge absorbs the semen and the spermicide in the sponge does its work there. I am not certain that I would be comfortable removing the spermicide for several hours.

Short answer, bathing will not remove the spermicide.

[Mary Hough]

Sorry, what is douching? Showering? Sex in the shower? And that is what I meant actually: Does having sex in the shower/ bath reduce the effectiveness of the spermicide?

[girlygirl]

Nice to see you know some French, but douching has nothing to do with showers. Douching is spraying a liquid up the vagina in order to clean it. In the long run, it usually does more harm than good.

[Mary Hough]

This douching practice sounds archaic. My ex-girlfriend used to enjoy putting the shower head against her vulva for a thrill, but I'm sure this isn't the same at all!
Onyways, thanks to you both for your replies. My suitcase is stuffed with condoms and all sorts of feel good treats for my girlfriend.
I'm going on tour and then directly to my honey, but I'll be sure to look in at sexinfo when I can. Have a fannytastic Summer!
P.S. still looking for answer to sex in shower/ spermicide compatibility.

[ItalStall]

No, showering does not affect the effectiveness of the spermicide.