No More Vasectomies Or Even Condoms, Scientists Have Devised A Gel That May Be Perfect Male Contraceptive

The promise of developing a gel that can act effectively as a birth control alternative for men has long been in the making with nothing concrete to show. But that's all in the past now as a new get that can potentially be the alternative to reversible vasectomy has been found to have a success rate of a 100 percent in primate trials.

wired.co.uk

The product called Vasalgel previously tried on rabbits and now successfully on monkeys, is now almost a viable alternative to vasectomy for men.

What is Vasagel?

Vasalgel is a non-toxic, non-hormonal gel that is injected into the tube that carries sperm from your testes to the penis as it fills the internal cavity acting as a barrier to the sperm. Previous tests on rabbits reveal that the procedure can be reversed with ease by dissolving the gel using ultrasound.

netdoctor.co.uk

What the study revealed

The study was published in the open access journal Basic and Clinical Andrology after implementing it on rhesus macaques (a species of monkeys). The research that was conducted using 16 rhesus monkeys, out of which 10 had already sired offsprings were monitored for around six months during the breeding season.

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The fact that there were no pregnancies that occurred during that time, when the typically the expected pregnancy rate under normal circumstances averages around 80 percent, is a phenomenal accomplishment.

Why is this significant?

Apart from the fact that women will possibly be able to switch roles with their male counterparts when it comes to taking precautionary measures, the only available option for men as of now is vasectomy.

thedailybeast.com

Although vasectomy is reversible, as a technically challenging procedure, it dramatically reduces the rate of fertility in men following the procedure states the lead author of the study Catherine VandeVoort of the California National Primate Research Centre.

nypost.com

Vasalgel has shown a considerable amount of promise as an alternative to vasectomy as its research on rabbits previously has shown that the product is reversible, making it a long-term and reliable male contraceptive, adds VandeVoort.

Is this the only viable solution till date?

There are essentially only two options for male contraceptives for men: condoms and vasectomies.

myfertilitychoices.com

Other approaches, such as an implant that is capable of turning your sperm off similar to a switch or an injection that slows the mobility of your sperm at an efficiency of about 96 percent, haven't received much of a push regarding funding or urgency. That's probably due to the uncertainty of its unwarranted side effects like acne, depression, and hormonal imbalances.

myhealthformen.co.za

Vasalgel, on the other hand, doesn¡¯t affect your sperm production or hormonal levels, making it free of most common side effects. Unlike, vasectomies, where your tubes are cut and tied making it an arduous process to reverse, the gel should be theoretically easier to reverse using ultrasound to do so.

How soon will this gel be available?

ibtimes.com

The Parsemus Foundation, the non-profit organisation that funded the research, said that human trails are right around the corner, as soon as they secure their funding.