Since the Middle Ages, condoms have been used to prevent conception, the rubber variety first appeared in the industrial mid-1800s. They have improved in efficiency and usability over time.
But the development of birth control tablets and IUDs in the 1960s marked a fundamental change in how people manage reproduction.
Is Contraceptive for Men Possible?
Women now have access to a wider range of tablets, patches, and implants. However, short of a vasectomy, a flexible sheath that covers the penis continues to be the only method of contraception for males that have received medical approval.
But right now, scientists are investigating both hormonal and non-hormonal sperm-bearer contraceptives. The intention is for couples to start viewing contraception as a shared duty.
The opinions of some of the guys participating in the gel experiment, particularly those who really just want to support their female spouses, give Ob-Gyn and professor Brian Nguyen hope for the future of male contraceptive research.
The World Health Organization (WHO) funded trials for male hormonal contraceptives in the 1990s, during which men received large amounts of testosterone, but the medications were never commercialized. The side effects, which included heart, liver, and kidney toxicity as well as a possible elevated risk of prostate cancer, led researchers to conclude that they weren’t effective enough to be sold.
According to Stephanie Page of the University of Washington, the gels and pills currently undergoing testing don’t carry the same hazards. Some users say they experience mood fluctuations, acne, weight gain, or changes in libido as side effects.
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Exploration of Male Contraceptive
Another area of research targets specific phases in the sperm’s life cycle, like its capacity to swim or to fertilize an egg, and she notes that they are quite similar to those that some women experience taking female hormonal contraceptives.
These drugs are a bit more precise than hormonal ones, says Logan Nickels, research director at the Male Contraceptive Initiative, which supports researchers working on non-hormonal contraceptives.
Another non-hormonal technique is a gel that is injected into the vas deferens, the tube that transports sperm to the urethra in preparation for ejaculation, and prevents the transport of sperm. This procedure is currently being tested in Australia. According to Logan, it might function as a reversible vasectomy substitute.
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