Sperm transport and survival post-application of a new spermicide contraceptive

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of Advantage 24^® to inhibit sperm transport and survival when applied at 24 hours, 12 hours, and 15–30 minutes prior to a single act of intercourse. Conceptrol^®, applied at 15–30 minutes before intercourse, was employed as the comparative spermicide. One-hundred-thirty-nine women, aged 22 to 45 years, were enrolled into the study and 111 completed the trial. The ability of the spermicides to immobilize sperm was assessed by postcoital testing (PCT) and by examining the proportion of sperm immobilization failure (SIF) rates. SIF was a postcoital test result with ≥10 sperm with progressive motility (either sluggish or rapid) per ×400 power field. Conceptrol and Advantage 24 used at 15–30 minutes were similar with respect to their ability to inactivate sperm (0% and 2% SIF, respectively, P = 0.5). At longer intervals between spermicidal application and intercourse, less inhibition of sperm motility was noted (9% and 14% SIF for 12 and 24 hours, respectively). The present study indicates that Advantage 24 is an effective agent to immobilize sperm. The action of Advantage 24 may decrease if it is applied earlier than 15–30 minutes before intercourse.