Why can’t I find a condom with spermicide?

Dear Spermicidal Condom,

Though it is more difficult now to find condoms that contain spermicide than it was in the past, most of the condom manufacturing companies still make at least one ‘type’ that contains spermicide. Spermicide kills sperm and makes a pregnancy less likely, especially if there are complications during intercourse such as the condom breaking.

Spermicidal condoms were very popular until research found that spermicide (nonoxynol-9) caused little cuts inside the vaginal and/or rectal cavity. These cuts make sexual partners more at risk for blood-borne STIs such as HIV. Because of this, condom manufacturers have stopped using nonoxynol-9 on most condoms and have lowered the amounts of spermicide used on those still available.

It is probably best not to use a spermicidal condoms, however, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that you can safely use spermicide if you are not using it more than one time per day.

Best regards,