The author, Deborah Anderson, a professor in obstetrics and gynaecology at Boston University and Harvard Medical School, writes that Coca-cola douches were allegedly used during the 1950s and 60s as a contraceptive when other methods were not easily available. The acidity alledgedly worked as spermicide to kill sperm and the classic coke bottle shape lent itself to a "shake and shoot" applicator!
In this analysis, Professor Anderson provides eight reasons why you're better off not reaching for a Coca-cola after sex, unless you want to drink it:
-- Coca-cola is not very effective in killing sperm.
-- Sperm are faster than Coca-cola and could escape douching and reach the cervical canal.
-- Coca-cola may be good for tenderising steaks and removing corrosion from car bumpers but is not good news for vaginal tissue. Coca-cola damages the top layers of cells and could make a woman more prone to sexually transmitted infections.
-- The good bacteria that keep vaginas healthy could be adversely affected by coke and this could result in fungal and bacterial infections.
-- Douching could lead to pelvic inflammatory disease and ectopic pregnancy.
-- The Coca-cola formula is a secret so this means no research has been done on whether it would cause birth defects.
-- You need skill to douche effectively with Coca-cola - not practical, especially in the dark when bottle caps can go dangerously astray.
-- There are much more effective and easy to use methods of contraception around.
"Feature: Coca-Cola douches and contraception"
BMJ online
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