Using a lubricant may improve sex ... and that's all. Fertility is wiped out. A new research published in the journal "Fertility and Sterility" shows that 80% of the lubricants seem to be sperm killers. Only one out of 5 vaginal lubricants did not significantly lower the motility of the sperms or the integrity of the sperm chromosomes.

About 30-50% of the sexually active couples employ vaginal lubricants, but some researches had signaled a harmful effect of these chemicals on sperm quality. In this case, the main issue is what women can choose in order to solve the issue of vaginal dryness while attempting to conceive, as in many cases sexual issues go hand-in-hand, and vaginal dryness can be connected to fertility issues. Harming the sperms would be the cherry on the top of the cake.

The team led by Dr. Ashok Agarwal from the Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, assessed the impact of four commercially available vaginal lubricants (FemGlide, Pre-Seed, Replens, and Astroglide) on sperm motility and that of three lubricants (Pre~Seed, K-Y Jelly, and FemGlide) on sperm chromosome integrity.

When the team exposed semen samples from 12 men to Replens, Astroglide, and FemGlide, they found a significant drop in sperm motility 30 minutes later, while Pre-Seed did not induce any significant decrease in sperm motility compared to control samples. Sperm chromosomes were deeply damaged at the contact with FemGlide or K-Y Jelly, but even if Pre-Seed caused some damage, the amount was statistically insignificant.

"Our study suggests that even the water-soluble lubricants containing no spermicide, such as FemGlide, Astroglide, and Replens, have negative effects on sperm motility and chromatin (sex chromosomes) integrity. We found that Pre-Seed intimate moisturizer had minimal negative effect on both sperm motility and chromatin quality, which may be due to its more physiologic pH and isotonic formulation as compared with other products. Our results suggest that Pre-Seed may be a promising treatment for vaginal dryness in infertile couples who are trying to conceive; however, large-scale in vivo trials are needed to support our findings," wrote the authors.