From birth control pills to non-hormonal injections, scientists have been investigating different options as an alternative to the male operation as a method of male contraception. Now, a study carried out by the National Primate Research Center of California (USA) has successfully tested a contraceptive gel in monkeys.
Women have a wide range of contraceptives at their disposal, but … what about men?
In 2016 a team of scientists tested Vasalgel, a non-hormonal male contraceptive gel – a high molecular weight polymer – on rabbits, opening up hope for a long-term contraceptive for men (the method is reversible).
In the new trial, the researchers, led by Catherine VandeVoort, tested the drug in primates , injecting directly into the vas deferens, which carry sperm from the testes to the urethra. What the gel does is form a barrier that stops the movement of the sperm.
The experiment was carried out with 16 adult male rhesus monkeys and a control group of 16 monkeys of the same age that had previously been vasectomized. The animals were sedated with Ketamine; 100 microliters of Vasalgel were administered with the help of a syringe through a small incision. The gel created a barrier approximately 2 centimeters long within the vas deferens. After this, the monkeys returned to their normal habitat, where they lived with females for 2 years.
The paternity of all descendants was proven through blood samples and genetic testing. The results showed that the males treated with the contraceptive gel had no offspring.
As side effects, only one monkey in the group developed a sperm granuloma – a lump in the testicle – something that also happens in vasectomy. The difference is that the percentage of appearance of these spermatic granulomas is 15% with vasectomy and only 3% with gel.
“Vasalgel shows real promise as an alternative to vasectomy, because research in rabbits has shown that the product is reversible. Although it is possible to reverse a vasectomy, it is a technically difficult procedure and patients often have very low fertility rates afterward. of the reversion “, clarifies Catherine VandeVoort, leader of the work.
The study has been published in the journal Basic and Clinical Andrology.
