OBJECTIVES: Although condoms are the best defense against sexually transmitted disease, little is known about the effectiveness of female-controlled methods containing nonoxynol-9 as backup protection when condoms are not being used. METHODS: To assess the extent to which nonoxynol-9 protects women against gonorrhea, a cohort of 303 female sex workers (prostitutes) in Yaounde, Cameroon, were asked to use condoms and suppositories containing nonoxynol-9 at every sexual encounter and to record daily sexual activity and use of condoms and suppositories on coital logs that were reviewed monthly. Evidence of gonorrheal infection was based on a positive gonorrhea culture. Stratified analysis and proportional hazards regression were used to estimate rate ratios. RESULTS: Forty-one women enrolled in the study were excluded from the current analysis. The estimated incidence of gonorrhea was 6.2 infections per 100 person-months of observation. Incidence rate ratios estimated from proportional hazards regression models controlling for condom use showed that using nonoxynol-9 during acts not protected by condoms reduced the risk of infection. CONCLUSIONS: Although the protective effect of condoms against sexually transmitted disease is greater than that afforded by nonoxynol-9, using nonoxynol-9 when condoms are not used is a far better strategy in gonorrhea prevention than using no method at all.
OBJECTIVES: Although condoms are the best defense against sexually transmitted disease, little is known about the effectiveness of female-controlled methods containing nonoxynol-9 as backup protection when condoms are not being used. METHODS: To assess the extent to which nonoxynol-9 protects women against gonorrhea, a cohort of 303 female sex workers (prostitutes) in Yaounde, Cameroon, were asked to use condoms and suppositories containing nonoxynol-9 at every sexual encounter and to record daily sexual activity and use of condoms and suppositories on coital logs that were reviewed monthly. Evidence of gonorrheal infection was based on a positive gonorrhea culture. Stratified analysis and proportional hazards regression were used to estimate rate ratios. RESULTS: Forty-one women enrolled in the study were excluded from the current analysis. The estimated incidence of gonorrhea was 6.2 infections per 100 person-months of observation. Incidence rate ratios estimated from proportional hazards regression models controlling for condom use showed that using nonoxynol-9 during acts not protected by condoms reduced the risk of infection. CONCLUSIONS: Although the protective effect of condoms against sexually transmitted disease is greater than that afforded by nonoxynol-9, using nonoxynol-9 when condoms are not used is a far better strategy in gonorrhea prevention than using no method at all.
Authors: J Piret; J Lamontagne; J Bestman-Smith; S Roy; P Gourde; A Désormeaux; R F Omar; J Juhász; M G Bergeron Journal: J Clin Microbiol Date: 2000-01 Impact factor: 5.948
Authors: J Bestman-Smith; J Piret; A Désormeaux; M J Tremblay; R F Omar; M G Bergeron Journal: Antimicrob Agents Chemother Date: 2001-08 Impact factor: 5.191
Authors: B C Herold; R Kirkpatrick; D Marcellino; A Travelstead; V Pilipenko; H Krasa; J Bremer; L J Dong; M D Cooper Journal: Antimicrob Agents Chemother Date: 1999-04 Impact factor: 5.191
Authors: B C Herold; A Siston; J Bremer; R Kirkpatrick; G Wilbanks; P Fugedi; C Peto; M Cooper Journal: Antimicrob Agents Chemother Date: 1997-12 Impact factor: 5.191