Vaginal contraception and tensio-actives
Langlois, P.; Hamon, M.; Guelfi, M.C.
Contraception Fertilite Sexualite 9(9): 551-554
1981
ISSN/ISBN: 0301-861X PMID: 12337642 Document Number: 385980
247 women using local contraception with a vaginal tampon impregnated with benzalkonium chloride were observed for 2597 cycles; there was only 1 pregnancy. After accurate anamnesis it appeared that the patient had neutralized the cationic spermicidal agent through postcoital douching with a liquid anoionic soap. The use of tensioactive agents in products for female hygiene is widespread, since they have active foaming and detergent properties. Spermicidal vaginal agents must never be diluted by a vaginal douche, or modified by chemical products with antagonizing properties. The use of tensioactive anionic products for female hygiene and their contact with spermicidal cationic ammonium derivates, results in the deactivation of such derivates, while nonanionic tensioactives provoke no action on cationic spermicidal agents. This brief article includes a list of different types of tensioactives, and divides them in anionic, cationic, and nonanionic categories.