Birth defects and vaginal spermicides.

In a cohort study of 50, 282 pregnancies recruited between 1958 and 1965, there were 462 gravidae who used nonmercurial spermicides (mostly nonoxynol-9 (95% confidence limits, 0.6 to 1.6). There were also 889 women who used phenylmercuric acetate (no longer available as a spermicide); the corresponding rate ratio was 0.9 (0.6 to 1.3). Limb reduction deformities, neoplasms, Down's syndrome, and hypospadias did not occur in excess in children exposed to spermicides.