Male birth control options may soon expand.
Researchers at the University of Washington are testing a male hormonal contraceptive gel.
It contains synthetic hormones that signal the brain to lower testosterone to produce less sperm.
“It’s a gel that’s a hand sanitizer-like consistency. The men use an actuation pump, and they put one pump on each shoulder and they rub it in their hand wash, and we measure their sperm count over the course of the study.” numbers, and they and their partners eventually rely on the gel as their method of contraception,” Stephanie Page of the UW Medicine Diabetes Institute.
Men currently have two effective options for birth control, condoms and vasectomy.
The researchers hope that more options will allow couples to treat contraception as a shared responsibility.
“For example, you might imagine a couple in the beginning, she might be on the pill, or maybe they’re using condoms in the beginning, and then she decides to go off the pill or get an IUD. , and then they decide they want to conceive, and then they have their first child, and they’re thinking about having another child, and it’s okay, he takes his turn, and he uses it for a few years,” Page said.
Side effects of the gel were similar to side effects for women on hormonal birth control. These include weight gain and mood swings.
The researchers estimate that it will take seven to 10 years for the gel to come to market.
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