Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Field Trial of a Contraceptive Foam in Puerto Rico

1961; American Medical Association; Volume: 177; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1001/jama.1961.03040280029008

1538-3598

Manuel Paniagua,

Global Maternal and Child Health

Free supplies of Emko Foam were distributed to 142 Puerto Rican couples over a 27-month period, comprising 143 couple-years of experience. The people were primarily low-income individuals who had not voluntarily sought contraception. Thus, they probably had varying degrees of motivation and the results are probably lower than would be expected if the contraceptive were used correctly at each sexual intercourse. Prior to use of the foam, the pregnancy rate for the couples was 80 per 100 couples per year of exposure. When all months of the study are included, the pregnancy rate is 29 per 100 couples per year of exposure, a drop of 64%. The rate rises in the second 6 months, when postpartum amenorrhea is a minor factor, and falls to 17 after 12 months, when some of the less regular users have become pregnant. When only the menstrual months are considered, the rate decreases from 45 in the first 6 months to 17 after 12 months. The commonest reason for discontinuing the foam was unplanned pregnancy. 12 couples separated, 5 stopped for planned pregnancy, 5 for religious reasons, 3 because of husband's objections, 1 because of urethral irritation, and 1 because of lost interest. The fact that 69% of the fertile couples who were approached to try out the foam accepted indicates a latent desire for contraception. A public health program directed toward general distribution of contraceptives would appear to be acceptable to low income groups in Puerto Rico.