Are there any side effects of contraceptive diaphragms?

Because they don't want to have children too early, young couples often take contraceptive measures to prevent pregnancy. Common contraceptive measures now include placing an intrauterine contraceptive ring, but it may cause inflammation in women; oral contraceptives may also cause problems such as irregular menstruation and premature ovarian failure; and wearing condoms always makes men feel uncomfortable. There is another contraceptive measure now, which is to place a contraceptive film. So, does this contraceptive have any side effects? What should we pay attention to?

Contraceptive film is a type of external contraceptive. Currently, the commonly used contraceptive films are mostly made of nonoxynol as the main ingredient and polyvinyl alcohol as the water-soluble film-forming material. Nonoxynol has the characteristics of rapid and efficient spermicidal effect. Five minutes before sexual intercourse, the drug film should be rolled into a ball and inserted deep into the vagina. After dissolving in the vagina, nonoxynol can interact with the lipoprotein membrane of sperm cells, change the permeability of sperm cells, kill sperm or make sperm lose their vitality, thus making it difficult for sperm to pass through the cervix to complete fertilization, thereby achieving the purpose of contraception.

How to use

Before sexual intercourse, fold the contraceptive film twice, and wash your hands first. Fold the film into 1/4 of its original size, hold the film with your index and middle fingers and insert it into the deep vagina near the cervix, and wait for 5 minutes before sexual intercourse. When using a rectangular contraceptive film, first roll the contraceptive film into a loose ball, insert it into the top of the vagina with your fingers, and wait for 10 minutes before sexual intercourse.

Precautions

When using a contraceptive membrane, it is emphasized that it should be placed in the vagina 5 minutes before sexual intercourse, and no longer than 30 minutes (because if the placement time is too short, the drug may not be fully dissolved; if the time is too long, the drug may be lost through the vagina and the effective concentration of contraception cannot be reached). In addition, when using a contraceptive membrane for contraception, the vagina cannot be flushed with water immediately after sexual intercourse. The reason is very simple. The effect of the drug has a process. Immediately flushing the vagina will inevitably cause the concentration of the drug in the vagina to drop significantly, and it will not have the effect of killing sperm.

No side effects have been found in current clinical data regarding the use of contraceptive membranes for contraception. However, you must be careful when using it, otherwise it may lead to contraceptive failure, so this method of contraception is more troublesome. In fact, the best way of contraception is for men to wear condoms, which is both safe and hygienic.