The Effects of Vaginal Lubricants on Sperm Function

Abstract

Lubricants are commonly used during sexual intercourse among couples attempting to conceive and during the routine clinical care of patients. Given the prevalence of use, several studies have evaluated the effect of lubricants on sperm parameters and fertility. To review and summarize available literature, a PubMed search was performed of all articles from 1950 to September 2013 with a total of 11 studies (8 in vitro; 3 in vivo) identified evaluating a combined 24 agents. Overall results demonstrated that baby oil, canola oil, egg white, and Pre-Seed^® did not significantly reduce sperm motility or other measured parameters. Astroglide^®, KY Jelly^®, KY Touch^®, Replens^®, saliva, and Surgilube^® all resulted in time- and concentration-dependent impairments in sperm motility, viability, and/or DNA fragmentation. Plant oils (canola, olive, peanut, safflower, vegetable) generally had fewer effects on motility compared to alternative agents. Limited data on Aquasonic Gel^®, FemGlide^®, and Felis^® all demonstrated reduced sperm motility. In vivo results of couples attempting to conceive identified no significant difference in the rate of fecundity between lubricant users vs. nonusers. Similarly, lubricants used during masturbation to obtain semen samples did not significantly alter semen characteristics compared to controls. These findings suggest that although several commonly used lubricants result in semen impairments in vitro, there is no current evidence that in vivo use is detrimental to fecundity. However, given the limited data available, additional in vivo studies are required to further assess the impact of lubricants on fertility.