Male Contraceptive Gel Renews Hope Of Birth Control

A male contraceptive gel has been found to work reliably in a trial in primates, bringing the prospect of an alternative form of birth control for humans closer. These is contained in a report published in the journal ‘Basic and Clinical Andrology’. It was reported that the product, called Vasalgel, is designed to be a reversible and less invasive form of vasectomy and in the latest study was 100 per cent effective at preventing conception.
A blob of the gel is injected into the spermcarrying tube, known as the vas deferens, and acts as a long-lasting barrier. Male contraceptives, also known as male birth control, are methods of preventing pregnancy that primarily involve the male physiology.
The most common kinds of male contraception include condoms, withdrawal or pulling out, outercourse, and vasectomy. In domestic animals, castration is commonly used for contraception. Previous tests in smaller animals showed the procedure could be easily reversed by breaking up the gel using ultrasound. Reacting to the development, the study’s lead author, Catherine VandeVoort, of the California National Primate Research Centre in California, United States, U.S, said: “Men’s options for contraception have not changed much in decades.
There’s vasectomy, which is poorly reversible, and condoms. If they knew they could get a reliable contraceptive that could also be reversed, I think it would be appealing to them.” The Parsemus Foundation, a non-profit organisation that funded the work, said it plans to start a human trial as soon as funding is secured, based on the promising monkey results.
“One of the great things about the monkey model is that the male reproductive tract is very similar to humans and they have even more sperm than humans do,” said VandeVoort. “Chances are, it’s going to be effective in humans.”
After decades of minimal progress on male contraceptives, a range of different approaches now appear to be showing promise. A World Health Organisation, WHO investigation, published last year, found that a male hormonal contraceptive jab was as effective as the female pill.
However, scientists are still working to overcome unwanted side-effects including depression, acne and soaring libido that are linked to hormone-altering gels, pills and injections. By contrast, the Vasalgel procedure does not interfere with sperm production and hormone levels in the body remain unchanged, meaning such side-effects are not an issue. As with a vasectomy, sperm continues to be produced in the testes, but rather than being ejaculated, it dissolves and is naturally absorbed by the body.
Unlike vasectomy though, in which the tube is snipped and the two ends cauterised, the Vasalgel procedure should be reversible, potentially making it an attractive option for a wider range of men. “They wouldn’t have to worry about it on a day-to- day basis,” said Vande- Voort. “This would be more akin to an intrauterine device, IUD (the coil) in women.” In the study, 16 male rhesus monkeys were given injections of the gel and then returned to their group, which included between three and nine breeding females.