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Objective markers of condom failure
M L Lawson1, M Maculuso, A Bloom
1Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham 35294-2170, USA.
Background:
Studies of condom efficacy rely on self-reported behavior. Objective markers of exposure to semen may provide a more valid assessment of condom failure and failure to use condoms.
Goals Of This Study:
To compare three semen biomarkers: acid phosphatase (AP) activity, prostate specific antigen (PSA), and the human seminal plasma antigen (MHS-5).
Study Design:
Twenty women were intravaginally inoculated with six measured, increasingly larger amounts of their partners' semen. Vaginal fluid was collected by the participant using swabs and tested.
Results:
Background levels of PSA were low (0.00-1.25 ng/ml), background levels of AP were variable (0-350 U/l), and all preinoculation samples were negative for MHS-5. All postinoculation samples were positive for PSA, 64 of 117 (55%) for AP, and 14 of 120 (12%) for MHS-5.
Conclusion:
The PSA immunoassay was the best semen biomarker under these sampling and testing conditions.