A feasibility study was performed in 11 healthy nonpregnant premenopau
sal women to determine a method for collection and recovery of vaginal
ly administered nonoxynol-9. We also determined ii nonoxynol-9 could b
e quantitated in vaginal lavage fluid obtained 2 h after instillation
of a standard precoital dose of a foam formulation of nonoxynol-9. Sam
ples were analyzed in batch using a validated normal phase high-perfor
mance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. Two hours after instillatio
n of one dose oi Delfen(R) Contraceptive Foam (100 mg), the quantity o
i nonoxynol-9 collected ranged from 10.8 to 67.8 mg (mean: 35.4 mg). T
his corresponds to a recovery of 11-70% of the administered dose. Quan
titation of vaginally administered nonoxynol-9 is both practical and f
easible. These data represent a critical first step in the evaluation
of the safety and effectiveness of nonoxynol-9-containing products in
the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases. (C) 1997 Elsevier Sci
ence Inc.