The investigation of the spumescence of vehicles for vaginal contraceptive preparations.

Tensides are often incorporated in vaginal contraceptives as foaming agents. The foam barrier mechanically obstructs penetration into the cervical canal while the spermicide immobilizes the spermatozoa which provides good contraceptive efficacy. The foam barrier should be developed independently of anatomical characteristics and quantity of vaginal fluid and should be characterized by large stability and good adhesion at the vaginal epitel. The purpose of this report was to investigate the effect of concentration (1.0-12.5%) of incorporated sodium lauryl sulphate (NaLS) on the spumescence of vehicles for vaginal contraceptives with 7% of sodium carboxymethylcellulose (NaCMC) and 12.5% of Veegum HV in the lactate solutions different pH values (3.0 4.5 and 6.0). The graphic representations of the results (Figs. 1 and 2) show that the concentration of NaLS and the pH value of artificial vaginal fluid insignificantly exert influence on the spumescence. The height and the thick of the foam are insignificantly bigger in samples containing 5% of NaLS. It can be concluded that incorporation 5% of NaLS gives the best spumescence. (full text)