A Longlasting Contraceptive For Men?
Would men rather take birth control into their own hands if they had other options than condoms? It looks like that might be an option soon.
Right now, most birth control options are placed as the responsibility of women. From female condoms to diaphragms, cervical caps, birth control pills, morning-after pills, vaginal rings, and more. For men, the most well-known and used form of contraception is the classic condom. And even then, a lot of men don't use them! But again, that could be changing soon. As AskMen points out, male birth control injections are on the horizon.
The Hindustan Times elaborates that this new contraception option came after a successful medical trial at the Indian Council Medical Research (ICMR). A polymer that could block all sperm from passing through the vas deferns.
“The polymer was developed by Professor S.K. Guha of the Indian Institute of Technology in the 1970s,” said Dr. R.S. Sharma of the ICMR. “ICMR has been researching on it to turn it into a product for mass use since 1984, and the final product is ready after exhaustive trials.”
“The trials are over, including extended, Phase 3 clinical trials for which 303 candidates were recruited with a 97.3% success rate and no reported side effects. The product can safely be called the world’s first male contraceptive.”
Injections Where?
But, the way to receive this contraceptive is to inject it into men's crotches. Specifically, it goes near the testicles at the vas deferens. While this injection would surely save a lot of couples from any “surprises,” we also know that men get very sensitive about things going on down there. Certainly, an injection to the top of their scrotum is a hard sell.
But despite that, Dr. Sharma and his team aren’t the only ones working on a similar drug and product. As Ask Men writes:
“A competitor leveraging a very similar type of injection-based birth control has already been pushing past bureaucratic barriers and other red tape in the U.S. market, with Vasalgel having been on the horizon for wider distribution for some time now. An easier, well, pill to swallow, in the form of a male birth control pill appears to be about 10 years away from hitting pharmacy shelves, so the race truly is on in this industry sector.”
So, it looks like a long-lasting contraceptive measure for men is around the corner. But will men be willing to inject their crotches? Even if it means not having to do it again for a decade or more? We’ll find out soon. In the meantime, let us know your thoughts down below.
h/t: Ask Men News, The Hindustan Times
