Personal Lubricants Make Sex Safer
Over-the-counter
sexual lubricants may enhance safety as well as pleasure during sex, say
researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.
When mixed with
HIV-infected seminal fluid, the products Astroglide, Silken Secret, and
Vagisil each reduced viral output by more than 1,000 times.
Moreover, the
lubricants acted within five minutes, well short of the 30 minutes required
for infected cells to transmit HIV to the cells of the vagina or rectum.
The lubricants maintained their effectiveness even after being diluted
to one-quarter their original strength, and they worked against the virus
even after being incubated for 8 hours at 98.60, which just happens to
be human body temperature.
Dr. Samuel Baron,
one of the authors of the study, warns that condoms are still the most
effective barriers against AIDS. "No one should use these substances assuming
that they will protect you from contracting HIV (until more studies are
done)," he said.
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