New Male Birth Control Passes First Test
Women have about 10 options for birth control, including longer-term solutions like the IUD and implant and short-term strategies like the diaphragm and the vaginal ring. Yet for more than 100 years, men have had only two: the condom (with a failure rate close to 20%) and the vasectomy. However, the results of a new animal study suggest that a new form of birth control for men may be on the horizon.
In the new report, published Monday in the journal Basic and Clinical Andrology, researchers tested a new contraceptive called Vasalgel in male monkeys, and found that it was effective at preventing pregnancy during the monkeys' mating seasons.
Vasalgel consists of a polymer gel injected into the vas deferens — the tube through which sperm swims — that blocks sperm from escaping. It's long lasting and reversible.
There were a few minor complications, including one incorrect placement of the gel. But overall the researchers found that the rate of sperm-related complications in the monkeys was lower than the rate of complications among monkeys who had undergone a vasectomy.
The researchers still need to test the reversibility of the method in monkeys, and several more safety studies need to be done before a human trial occurs
For now, the field of male contraception remains a waiting game, though the authors believe the new study — if accompanied by further research — can move the science forward.
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