Vaginal Lubricants May Damage Sperm

[moderatorII]

Some brands of vaginal lubricants commonly recommended to couples undergoing fertility treatments may actually damage sperm and reduce the chance of conception.

A new study shows three brands of vaginal lubricants, FemGlide, Replens, and Astroglide, damaged sperm integrity and activity (motility) in laboratory tests. But a fourth brand of vaginal lubricant, Pre-Seed, did not appear to cause significant damage to sperm.

Researchers say vaginal lubricants are often recommended for relieving vaginal dryness in women undergoing fertility treatment.

These results suggest that when mixed with sperm during intercourse, certain vaginal lubricants may affect sperm quality and decrease the potential for fertilization and conception.

The study was presented this week at a joint meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society in Montreal.

In the study, researchers compared the effects of combining donor sperm from 13 different men in a solution of 10% of each of the four different vaginal lubricants vs. untreated sperm.

The results showed that sperm activity ranged from a high of 66% in untreated sperm to a low of 2% in a solution containing Astroglide.

The highest level of sperm activity (64%) was found in the solution treated with Pre-Seed vaginal lubricant, followed by 51% with FemGlide and 25% with Replens. Low sperm activity significantly reduces the chances of conception.

In a second test, researchers compared the long-term effects of exposure to three vaginal lubricants, Pre-Seed, FemGlide, and KY on sperm quality, as measured by DNA damage.

After four hours, the results showed that Pre-Seed was associated with the smallest amount of sperm DNA damage at 7% more than untreated sperm, followed by KY at 10% and FemGlide at 15%.

Researchers say the results suggest that Pre-Seed may be appropriate for use in couples undergoing fertility treatment because it was associated with the least damage to sperm quality and activity.


Source: WebMD Medical News
Wednesday, October 19, 2005

[thetease13]

Doesn't it say somewhere on all these products that if you're thinking of conceiving to not use them?

I swear I remember reading that somewhere.

[oberon]

I'd say this was good news for couples that DON'T want to conceive. Lube, lube, lube.

But, of course, you shouldn't rely on that.

[Brandye]

This is a nice caution to post for those who wish to conceive. As Oberon points out, this does not mean these are effective contraceptives. The test setup of placing the live sperm in a beaker of 10% lubricant in sterile water makes the spermicidal effect appear greater than it is. That is valid for what they were testing but not valid for testing as a spermicide.

Couples in fertility treatment may be given special lubricants or even preparatory douches to adjust the acidity of the vagina. Those products are designed to enhance conception.