Contraceptive gel can be useful

Cellulose sulfate gel seems to be an effective vaginal contraceptive without many side effects.    As a vaginal contraceptive, cellulose sulfate gel has been found to be effective in its early tests and may become an alternative to the nonoxynol-9 based contraceptive gels. To test the efficacy of this gel in preventing pregnancy, researchers at the Contraceptive Research and Development Program at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Arlington enlisted 200 fertile, heterosexual couples, at low risk for sexually transmitted infections, to use cellulose sulfate gel as their main contraceptive for 6 months or 6 menstrual cycles. Overall 82 couples completed the study without becoming pregnant. Ninety-eight couples reported using the gel at least once and, of these, 18 became pregnant. Scheduled follow-up visits took place after one menstrual cycle and at study completion, which occurred after 6 months or six menstrual cycles had elapsed. In addition, participants were instructed to call the site at the onset of each menses to review their diary cards.   The results showed that pregnancy occurred nearly 4 percent of the time among couples reporting perfect use over 6 menstrual cycles. Among couples who used the gel incorrectly, used an additional contraceptive method, and/or had unprotected intercourse, the probability of pregnancy was roughly 13 percent. The side effects reported by these participants were found to be mild and only possibly related to the gel. Fourteen women and one man reported reactions to the gel, and all but one of these reactions was mild.   Going by these results, the study suggests that cellulose sulfate vaginal gel yields pregnancy rates comparable to nonoxynol-9 with few adverse events and may be a viable alternative.