Diaphragm insertion increases human vaginal oxygen tension

The normal insertion of a contraceptive diaphragm into the vagina of five young women induced a dramatic increase in the vaginal oxygen tension (131 +/- 13 mm Hg, mean +/- SD, n = 5), which slowly fell at an initial rate of 0.9 +/- 0.2 mm Hg/min. Withdrawal of the diaphragm immediately restored vaginal oxygen tension to the normal hypoxic state (11 +/- 12 mm Hg). The change in gaseous equilibrium created by the trapped air of the diaphragm could have significant actions on the microbial activity and balance of the vagina.

Effect of butoconazole nitrate cream and wax insert on the barrier property of contraceptive devices

A new method was developed to assess the quality of the barrier property of several types of commonly used contraceptive devices (diaphragm, cervical cap, and condom). Our data showed that butoconazole nitrate cream and wax inserts did not affect the barrier property of the contraceptive devices when the products were placed in contact with the devices for up to 72 hours at 37 degrees C.

Prophylaxis against infection in Singaporean prostitutes

One hundred prostitutes were interviewed about the prophylactic measures they took against infection. The use of contraceptive diaphragms and clandestine antibiotics correlated significantly with fewer gonococcal infections.

Notice, 11 July 1988

On 11 July 1988, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the use of the cervical cap as a contraceptive. The cap is to be used in conjunction with a spermicidal cream or jelly to prevent pregnancy. It must be left in place for a minimum of eight hours after intercourse and may be left in place for a maximum of 48 hours.

Epidermal growth factor in urine of nonpregnant women and pregnant women throughout pregnancy and at delivery

Human epidermal growth factor (EGF) concentrations were measured by a specific solid phase RIA in random urine samples collected throughout the menstrual cycle of normal menstruating women (n = 8), women with tubal sterilization (n = 6), women taking a low dose oral contraceptive (n = 5), and women throughout pregnancy (n = 52) and delivery (n = 35). There were no differences in EGF concentrations between the proliferative and secretory phases of the menstrual cycle (P greater than 0.05). Normal menstruating women had higher urinary EGF concentrations [mean +/- SE, 37.2 +/- 6.0 micrograms/g creatinine (4.23 +/- 0.68 ng/mumol)] than women with tubal sterilization [32.7 +/- 4.0 (3.71 +/- 0.45)] or women taking a low dose oral contraceptive [19.5 +/- 6.0 (2.21 +/- 0.68)], but the differences were not significant (P greater than 0.05). During pregnancy, urinary EGF concentrations increased linearly from 6-20 weeks gestation (r = 0.76; P less than 0.001), then declined toward term (r = -0.71; P less than 0.001). EGF concentrations in early pregnancy (less than 12 weeks) or at term did not differ significantly from those in normal menstruating women (P greater than 0.05). For women delivering normal, appropriate for gestational age (AGA) infants, there was no correlation between urinary EGF concentrations and fetal weight or sex (P greater than 0.05). Urinary EGF concentrations in women delivering normal AGA infants [52.7 +/- 2.5 (5.98 +/- 0.28); n = 16] did not differ significantly (P greater than 0.05) from those in women with class A/B diabetes [41.9 +/- 2.8 (4.76 +/- 0.31); n = 6] or women delivering twins [45.6 +/- 2.6 (5.18 +/- 0.29); n = 8] with a greater fetoplacental mass. However, women delivering an intrauterine growth-retarded fetus with decreased fetoplacental mass had lower urinary EGF concentrations (24.9 +/- 2.2 (2.83 +/- 0.25); n = 5] than women with normal AGA infants (P less than 0.01). The significance of the rise in the urinary EGF concentration late in the second trimester and lower urinary EGF concentrations in women delivering intrauterine growth-retarded infants is not known, but may reflect an important physiological role for EGF in fetal-maternal hormonal interaction and development.

Updated pregnancy rates for the Today contraceptive sponge

Pregnancy rates (method and user) were evaluated for 2245 women who participated in the phase III clinical trials of the Today contraceptive sponge. User and method pregnancy rates were similar for women of different ages and parities. The 1-year method and user pregnancy rates (life table per 100 women) were 8.2 and 5.6, respectively.

[Rare foreign body fistulas of the female bladder]

Fistulae between kidney and vagina caused by foreign bodies are very rare nowadays. Two casuistics illustrate the curious anamnesis of such patients: in an 18-year-old girl a foreign body inserted during masturbation led to a perforation, in the case of a 66-year-old woman a pessary which had been forgotten since 35 years penetrated into the urinary bladder.

The contraceptive sponge's protection against Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae

To investigate the effect of the contraceptive sponge on the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases, we conducted a clinical trial among a high-risk population of women in Bangkok, Thailand. Two hundred fifty-five women were randomly assigned either to use the sponge or not and were evaluated weekly for gonorrhea and chlamydial infection. After adjustment by logistic regression for potentially confounding factors, women using the sponge were less likely to have contracted chlamydial infection (odds ratio [OR], 0.6; 90% confidence interval [CI], 0.4-1.0) and gonorrhea (OR, 0.9; CI, 0.6-1.3) as compared with women not using the sponge. These estimates probably underestimate the degree of protection because some exposure was misclassified in this pilot phase of the study. These results are consistent with other studies indicating that spermicides protect against gonorrhea and also demonstrating protection against an organism of even greater public health concern, Chlamydia trachomatis.