We frequently receive questions about ContraGel and Caya Gel, including how they work, whether they’re natural, and their safety. In this post, we’ll address these questions and more to help you understand how these lactic acid-based alternatives to spermicide function.
First, let’s recognize that a spermicidal gel performs multiple functions. It actually accomplishes several tasks.
Spermicide Forms A Barrier
A spermicide acts as a sealant between your body and your barrier contraceptive device. Imagine holding a marker pen tightly between your thumb and index finger. You’ll notice that no matter how hard you squeeze, you can’t form a watertight seal. The vaginal walls are much weaker compared to the pen, so the seal formed between the walls and your diaphragm wouldn’t be complete or watertight. Therefore, the first function of a spermcidal gel is to act as a viscous gel that seals gaps and creates a physical barrier. If you’re using a cervical cap, the gel would also enhance its suction and hold it firmly against the cervix.
Spermicide Is Sticky
The second function of a spermicidal gel is to act as a barrier, viscous substance that most of the ejaculate adheres to, thereby restricting its movement.
Spermicide Immobilises Sperm
The third function that spermicide fulfills is to actually kill the sperm. Nonoxynol 9 achieves this by physically breaking down cells in a brutal manner (which explains why it causes significant reported irritations, even with occasional users). ContraGel (and Caya Gel which is the same product but with different branding) utilizes the pH level of its Lactic Acid ingredient to cause the demise of the sperm. The pH is relatively extreme to the sperm, and the swimmers are unable to survive in such a hostile environment. They get stuck in it and expire.
The actual demise of sperm takes only a short time, which is why cervical cap and diaphragm manufacturers always advise leaving them in place for 6 to 8 hours before removal. These instructions are implemented to minimize the risk of contamination of the cervix with living sperm when the barrier is removed.
The reliability of ContraGel hinges solely on the effectiveness of the cervical cap or diaphragm used with it. If the barrier is not used correctly, ContraGel alone will not guarantee conception prevention.
Spermicide Is Only Used With A Barrier
This also raises questions about whether ContraGel can be used without a barrier. The official answer is no, and the unofficial one is that I personally wouldn’t attempt it. I feel much safer knowing that a physical barrier of silicone effectively shuts the door to incoming sperm. Honestly, I don’t think I could relax and enjoy the moment if I relied solely on a gel to capture all the ejaculate and block it from my partner’s cervix.
Why Your Fertility Window Matters
Another aspect of reliability is that you should only use barrier methods like ContraGel, diaphragms, cervical caps, or any other contraceptive when you’re actually at risk of pregnancy. You don’t need to worry about it when you’re not.
What does this mean? Well, you can get pregnant for about a week each menstrual cycle. This is the concept that the Natural Family Planning (NFP) community in the Catholic Church uses.
The main difference between their method and other non-religious methods is that NFP encourages abstaining from sex during the fertile week, while other couples may choose to use barrier contraception.
There’s a bit more to it than that. We recommend looking up NFP, the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM), and the Fertility Tracking Method (FTM) for more information.
For two decades David has been the owner and director of several marketing and distribution companies. During this time he has learned the indisputable benefits of looking after customers, colleagues, workers, suppliers and the local community, treating them all as respected stakeholders in a common project. Recently he consolidated his personal beliefs and business ethics by founding and developing several ethical companies.
