Birth defects and vaginal spermicides
S. Shapiro, D. Slone, O. P. Heinonen, D. W. Kaufman, L. Rosenberg, A. A. Mitchell and S. P. Helmrich
In a cohort study of 50, 282 pregnancies recruited between 1958 and 1965,
there were 462 gravidae who used nonmercurial spermicides (mostly
nonoxynol-9 (95% confidence limits, 0.6 to 1.6). There were also 889 women
who used phenylmercuric acetate (no longer available as a spermicide); the
corresponding rate ratio was 0.9 (0.6 to 1.3). Limb reduction deformities,
neoplasms, Down's syndrome, and hypospadias did not occur in excess in
children exposed to spermicides.
