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nonoxyinal 9
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
The article about lubrication stated some incorrect information. Nonoxyonal-9 does not prevent HIV at all. In fact it can promote HIV due to the fact that some people are allergic to the chemical and can get an infection. If you have an infection in your reproductive area, the HIV virus and STDs will be more attracted to it. Not everyone can use nonoxyonaol 9(cant spell).
Shannon
Planned Parenthood Community Educator
El Paso, TX
Shannon
Planned Parenthood Community Educator
El Paso, TX
0
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A factual challenge has come in and needs an answer.
TheSite do not claim that nonoxynol-9 prevents HIV infection. The article said: "..nonoxynol-9, which acts against the HIV virus". This is because the chemical has been shown to prevent the virus from replicating during in-vitro tests.
It is true that some men and women are sensitive to nonoxynol-9, and experiments have suggested that the chemical can cause tiny lesions in the vagina.
Tissue lesions can allow HIV to pass into the body more easily. It is not a certainty that most sexually transmitted infections are somehow "more attracted" to an inflamed or sore area of the reproductive tract - but it is more likely that they can get into the tissues easily.
If think you might be sensitive to nonoxynol-9, then it makes sense to avoid it. The chemical is used in a number of leading-brand condoms, so always check the packaging.
An important thing to remember is that spermicide is never going to take the place of safer sex, so always use a condom. The advice we have found so far seems to be that 'condoms with nonxynol-9 are still better than no condom at all'.
We called Brook Advisory earlier, but they did not have an official line about the safety of nonoxynol-9. We are waiting to hear back from representatives of the Terrence Higgins Trust.
The Family Planning Association had this to say:
"There is an ongoing debate about the safety of nonoxynol-9. Studies carried out on sex-industry workers suggest that it may increase the risk of HIV transmission. But this may be linked to the vast quantity of product that they use, and anything that acts as a spermicide can be toxic in large amounts. This may not be such a problem for the average person."
[This message has been edited by Karla (edited 01-02-2001).]