While women have several options for long-term contraception (IUD, birth control pills, ring, patches …) men, on the contrary, have a more than limited selection for them. Vasectomy is currently the only effective long-acting method available to men , but a new injectable gel could turn the tide.
Thus, a team of researchers from the University of Illinois in Chicago (USA) has published the conclusions of a study that demonstrates the efficacy of a promising injectable male contraceptive in rabbits.
Vasectomy, despite being considered reversible, is not so in practice, since it is an expensive, complicated procedure with the possibility of not being able to restore male fertility. The demand for male contraceptive options is palpable and necessary, so the possibility of administering a safe, durable and reversible injectable makes it a very viable option in every way.
Experiment with rabbits
The scientists injected the gel named “Vasalgel” (a compound of styrene maleic acid or anhydride dissolved in dimethylsulfoxide) in a trial with 12 rabbits, with successful results. Of the 12 rabbits, 11 of them presented azoospermia (no sperm in the semen) after the injection and did not begin to have sperm in their semen until 29 days later. In addition, the contraceptive effect was maintained during the 12 months that the study lasted.
Is it viable for humans?
Thanks to these very positive results, the scientists report that at the end of 2016 the first clinical trial in men will start thanks to the Parsemus Foundation, a non-profit entity based in Berkeley (USA).
Considering that some 85 million unwanted pregnancies occur worldwide each year (and half end in abortion), this new contraceptive option for men would have important implications for public health and social well-being.
The study has been published in the journal Basic and Clinical Andrology.
