There are not a lot of options when it comes to male contraception. Currently, the Condom and Vasectomy stand as the only two effective options for men when it comes to birth control. But a lot of research is going into the subject and a number of male birth control options are currently under clinical trials.
However, there may be an innovation in male birth control. The male contraception that is furthest along in clinical trials is a gel called Nestorone-Testosterone. The gel contains Testosterone and Progestin which is a synthetic form of the female hormone Progesterone.
This gel has to be applied to your arms and shoulders every day. The progestin in the gel works to shut down the Gonadotropin hormones which stimulate testosterone production in the testes. Since testosterone in the testes is responsible for producing sperm, shutting down the Gonadotropins lowers sperm production over time.
So when you apply the gel, your testes will eventually stop producing sperm because there won’t be any testosterone in your Testicles. But low testosterone levels in your body can lead to side effects like low libido or problems with ejaculation. Which is why the gel has replacement testosterone so that everything keeps functioning but sperm production will stop.
A common fact that not a lot of men know is that there is a difference between semen and sperm. So when sperm production stops, you will still ejaculate semen. In simple words, in Hollywood terms, you will be shooting blanks.
A multicentre trial is currently underway in the US, UK, Chile, Sweden, Kenya, and Italy. The trials involve 420 couple from around the world. The males will start applying the gel every day and once his sperm count is low enough, the couple will rely only on the gel for contraception for 12 months.
If the trials are successful, the company will move into the third phase which will involve a larger group of people. But the creators of this miracle gel say that they will have the birth control alternative on the market within 8-9 years.
