Surprising results from a prospective controlled study of vaginal lubricants were presented at a meeting of the American Society For Reproductive Medicine and the Canadian Fertility And Andrology Society in Montreal.
Four products, FemGlide, Replens, Astroglide and Pre-Seed have been routinely recommended to couples that are trying to get pregnant. Dr. Ashok Agarwal and colleagues from the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio took a closer look at the effects of the four products and their influence on donor sperm. It turned out, that FemGlide, Replens and Astroglide all reduced the sperm motility and integrity. When mixed in vitro (in a test tube) quality and movement of the sperm showed a sharp decline. Activity in untreated sperm amounted to 66%. A presence of only 10% Astroglide led to a rock bottom 2% mobility. The other product, Pre-Seed, did not slow the sperm down.
A second test measured DNA damage in sperm that had been exposed to lubricant solution for four hours. Again, only Pre-Seed had the lowest impact. It showed 7% more chromatin damage than untreated sperm. KY had 10% more damage and FemGlide showed 15% of damaged sperm.
Lubricants May Suppress Fertility
The researchers caution that problem lubricants are likely to cause additional hurdles for couples struggling with infertility, as chances for fertilization decrease with certain lubricants.
More information on infertility: http://nethealthbook.com/womens-health-gynecology-and-obstetrics/infertility-php/
Reference: Parkhurst Exchange, page 31,Vol.14, Nr.1 January 2006
Last edited October 30, 2014
