Widely Used Spermicide May Increase, Not Decrease, Risk of HIV Transmission
- Joan Stephenson, PhD
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
- KEYWORDS:
- birth control
- family planning
- hiv infections
- sexually transmitted diseases
- spermicidal agents
- spermatocidal agents
Durban, South Africa—Hopes that a product already widely used as a spermicide could help protect women against HIV infection were dashed when results from a large phase 3 study reported here at the XIII International AIDS Conference indicated that the product appears to increase transmission of the virus.
Many women are unable to protect themselves against HIV transmission because they are unable to negotiate consistent condom use by male partners. In recent years, HIV/AIDS experts have cited the need for a "stealth" microbicide that women could use, with or without their partner's consent, to reduce their risk of HIV infection and other sexually transmitted infections. Although a variety of potential microbicides are now under study, researchers reasoned that a substance already approved as a spermicide might offer some protection against infection and would have the advantage of having already undergone safety testing for that indication.
In the 4-year study, …
