SPERMICIDES
- Available in many forms, including creams, jellies, suppositories, aerosol foam and foam tablets
- Only 74.8 percent effective
- Form chemical barrier at opening to uterus that prevents sperm from reaching egg in uterus; may also destroy or damage sperm
- Greater incidence of these congenital disorders in innocent children who are conceived during use of spermicides: Down's Syndrome, limb reduction malformations, malignant neoplasms (cancerous tissue growths) and severe hypospadias
- Increased chance of vaginal infections because absorption of spermicide alters vagina's normal chemical environment
- Possible link to increased risk of HIV