Male birth control: Human trials to start for gels that stop sperm production

Human trials for gels that could stop sperm production will soon commence, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States has said. It said the United States Government will soon commence the human trials of the  male birth control gel. At the moment, while there are many forms of birth control for women […]

Human trials for gels that could stop sperm production will soon commence, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States has said.

It said the United States Government will soon commence the human trials of the  male birth control gel.

At the moment, while there are many forms of birth control for women some of which come with complicated side effects, condoms or vasectomies – surgical procedures to block sperm – are the  only two approved male contraceptives.

Condoms themselves fail but only occasionally; but people fail to use them correctly much more often, leading to a failure rate of about 13 percent .

If the trials of the male birth control gel proves safe and effective, it would be the first new birth control for men since  the condom was introduced in the 1800s, MailOnline said.

The report said the National Institutes of Health are heeding calls for male birth control and a division of the agencies will begin testing a birth control gel for men soon.

It will soon have 420 couples test the male birth control gel with sperm production-blocking hormones that are absorbed through the skin .

There are many forms of  female birth controls with varying effectiveness but the most common forms, oral contraceptives, fail about nine percent of the time – again, usually because they don’t get taken or don’t get taken on time.

Also implants, intrauterine devices (IUDs) and injections are all better and 99 percent effective, but they are more expensive than condoms and all require women to go through uncomfortable procedures and to introduce something foreign and long-term in their bodies.

Women have increasingly been calling for “the responsibility of preventing unintentional pregnancy to be more evenly distributed between the two people required to fertilize an egg.”

This call has also become more urgent in recent years, as access to birth control, emergency contraceptives and abortion has been diminished for many women.

As a result of these reasons, there have been more attempts to invent new male birth controls, but thus far they haven’t made it to the market, either due to clinical failures or lack of funding. The institute is now throwing its weight behind trials of one such contraceptive.

Study investigator, and chief of the NIH’s Contraceptive Development Programme, Dr Diana Blithe, said many women could not use hormonal contraception and male contraceptive methods were limited to vasectomy and condoms.

“A safe, highly effective and reversible method of male contraception would fill an important public health need,” said Dr Blithe.

The new gel, called NES/T, contains two hormones – progestin and testosterone – that are absorbed through the skin when the gel is rubbed onto a man’s back and shoulders.

Progestin – which is also found in most hormonal female birth controls – naturally blocks the action of the male hormone, testosterone, keeping the testes from producing sperm.

But testosterone is also key to male physical features and sex drive, so the gel also delivers a dose of replacement hormone.

If all goes according to plan, the NIH will recruit 420 couples to try out the gel as their only form of birth control – ultimately, for a whole year, according to MailOnline.

First men will slather up their shoulders and backs every day for between four and 12 weeks to make sure that they tolerate the product well.

During this time their sperm levels will also be measured for up to 16 weeks if necessary.

Once they are consistently producing a low enough concentration of sperm for the scientists to consider NES/T contraceptive, they’ll start putting it to the test with their partners over the course of the next year.

If it works, there may be hope for freedom from the pill for women. However, it may likely take years before the male birth control gel gets to the market.