CKS is no longer commissioned by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). NICE remains committed to providing a replacement service for CKS and is currently reviewing its options. In the meantime, although CKS content is now not being maintained, it still remains relevant and will continue to be made available. CKS content was generated under a programme of topic creation and update. To check if the topic you are viewing is current or out of date, please refer to the topic publication details by clicking on the 'How up-to-date is this topic?' link in the left hand menu on individual topic pages.
Contraception - Management
What are the advantages and disadvantages of spermicides?
- Advantages:
- They are easy to use.
- They are easy to obtain, and can be bought from pharmacies without a prescription.
- Disadvantages:
- They are not as effective as other methods (and therefore should not be used alone):
- When used correctly and consistently, about 15% of women will become pregnant within 1 year.
- When used typically, about 30% of women will become pregnant within 1 year.
- For further information, see Effectiveness of contraceptives.
- They should be used in conjunction with another method, such as a diaphragm or cervical cap.
- They lose effectiveness after about 1 hour.
- Some people find them messy to use.
- They may irritate the mucosa.
- They do not protect against sexually transmitted infections.
- They should not be used by women at increased risk of sexually transmitted infections as spermicides can increase the risk of HIV transmission.
[Belfield et al, 2006]
© NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement