Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the causative agents of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), are two great concerns in the reproductive health of women. Thus, the challenge is to find products with a double activity, on the one hand having antimicrobial/antiviral properties with a role in the reduction of STI, and on the other hand having spe...

There is an urgent need to develop safe, effective, dual-purpose contraceptive agents that combine the prevention of pregnancy with protection against sexually transmitted diseases. Here we report the identification of a group of compounds that on contact with human spermatozoa induce a state of "spermostasis," characterized by the extremely rapid inhibition of sperm movement without compromisi...

BACKGROUND Sapindus saponaria is used traditionally for curing ulcers, external wounds and inflammations. The spermicidal and anti-Trichomonas activity of S. saponaria and its effect on Lactobacillus acidophilus were evaluated. METHODS Water-ethanol (WE) and butanolic (BE) extracts, as well as a purified sample of saponins (SP) from S. saponaria were tested for spermicidal and anti-Trichomona...

Recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common in women, including healthy women with normal genitourinary anatomy. Recurrent UTI is typically defined as three or more UTIs within 12 months, or two or more occurrences within six months. The same species that caused previous infections is typically responsible for recurrences. In premenopausal women, sexual intercourse three or more times ...

Recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common among girls and young women who are healthy and have anatomically normal urinary tracts. These infections are a main source of morbidity and health-care costs in this population. The interaction between specific infecting bacteria and urinary tract epithelium characteristics underlies the pathogenesis of this disease. Several pathogen-related...

The prophage Lv1, harbored by a vaginal Lactobacillus jensenii isolate, was induced by several different anticancer, antimicrobial, and antiseptic agents, suggesting that they contribute to the adverse vaginal effects associated with their therapeutic use. Of special interest with respect to its novelty was the inducing effect of nonoxynol-9, a non-ionic detergent commonly used as a spermicide....

In battling HIV, many interventionists advocate the use of hierarchical messages that present multiple prevention options in order of decreasing effectiveness. The purpose of the present study was to determine if hierarchical messages provide women with additional prevention options without reducing the perceived efficacy of and willingness to use the primary method mentioned (in this case, mal...

CONTEXT A wealth of data exist on knowledge, attitudes and practice related to contraceptive use; however, emotional aspects of relationships that may influence reproductive decision making are often overlooked. METHODS Data from the 2010 Family Health and Wealth Survey were used in bivariate and multinomial logistic regression analyses to identify associations between relationship quality an...

This review describes the importance of microbial adhesion in the ecology of the urogenital and intestinal tracts and the influence of host and microbial factors in bacterial interference. In a recent revival of interest in bacterial interference, lactobacillus administration has been studied as a means of treating and preventing disease. Although evidence is conflicting, Lactobacillus acidophi...

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most common sexually transmitted infection. Vaccines for HPV infection can reduce the risk of developing cervical cancer. To further improve such vaccines and to explore other methods of preventing or treating viral infection, longitudinal studies in experimental animals are desirable. Here, we describe a newly developed multicolor endoscopic fluoresc...