New Contraceptive to Block 'Sperm and Germs.'

January 3, 2002 10:59 AM

New Contraceptive to Block 'Sperm and Germs.' Scientists working in conjunction with Johns Hopkins have spent the better part of the past 2 decades working on BufferGel. Now it's in clinical trials with the NIH. Put simply, BufferGel appears to kill sperm and most STDs by raising vaginal pH. Unlike its predecessors, however, it doesn't contain any detergent, which means (they hope) no irritation. (Of course, trials may not end until 2005. Don't have to throw out the Dr. Bronner's just yet.)
posted by cowboy_sally (12 comments total)

Great.
Another gel.
Something else to torture myself with as I mistakenly brush my teeth with it at 3 am.
"Gah! It burns! Hey, my cankers are gone.. it burns!"
posted by dong_resin at 11:22 AM on January 3, 2002

dong_... scary. i have been down that road though.
if it doesn't do all the stuff they say it shouldnt in paragraph 8, then this is truly a find. some might want to buy stock in whatever company gets licensed to distribute this stuff.
posted by sixtwenty3dc at 12:17 PM on January 3, 2002

want to buy stock in whatever company gets licensed to distribute this stuff

Or my new company, LitmusUnderwear, Inc.
posted by yerfatma at 12:38 PM on January 3, 2002

"Also, it mustn't smell bad or taste bad or stain the sheets. And most importantly, it mustn't irritate sensitive vaginal tissues."

BufferGel has met those standards both in animal trials and in extensive clinical safety trials, according to Cone.

That sounds odd.
posted by hotdoughnutsnow at 1:12 PM on January 3, 2002

"mustn't irritate sensitive vaginal tissues" + "animal trials" = worst job ever
posted by jpoulos at 1:30 PM on January 3, 2002

now if only it was edible...
posted by tiger yang at 2:02 PM on January 3, 2002

edible...

Comes in these flavors:
Sweet & Sour
Barbeque
Sour cream & onion
Refreshing mint
and Original.

Coming soon:
Kid friendly flavors like bubble gum and nacho cheese.
posted by fuq at 2:15 PM on January 3, 2002

eeeeewwwwww.....
posted by tiger yang at 3:31 PM on January 3, 2002

my much-cooler twin knows all about realizing it's not toothpaste

i'd just hate to imagine the disruption when having to apply it between foreplay/oral and intercourse. i guess it's not too different from other forms of contraception, in that manner.
posted by lotsofno at 3:35 PM on January 3, 2002

If only it were acidic instead of alkaline, there would be such jokes that could be told. But alkalines are not funny. (Alas!)
posted by Steven Den Beste at 5:31 PM on January 3, 2002

fuq you forgot ranch, doesnt everything have a ranch flavoured version?
posted by Iax at 12:12 AM on January 4, 2002

But alkalines are not funny. (Alas!)

This is one of the great unsolved mysteries for me:

What's the difference between an acid wit and a caustic wit?

Does one etch glass while the other raises blisters?
posted by y2karl at 4:32 AM on January 4, 2002