- cross-posted to:
- science@mander.xyz
- technology@lemmy.zip
- cross-posted to:
- science@mander.xyz
- technology@lemmy.zip
A gel injected into the scrotum could be the next male contraceptive::Biotech company Contraline has safely implanted a sperm-blocking hydrogel in 23 men. It’s designed to be a fully reversible vasectomy.
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This kind of thing pops up repeatedly. There’s some big, splashy news about a male contraceptive, and then it flames out, or ends up being vaporware.
The problem is that you need to stop a few million sperm with every single ejaculation; reducing that number by 99% means that you’re still risking pregnancy. Severing the ductus deferens (a vasectomy) means no sperm get through; trying to clip or block them means that some can potentially get through. Hormonal BC has the same issue; while it significantly reduces sperm count, it may not eliminate it entirely. (And there can be some really significant negative side effects from eliminating endogenous testosterone production, since hormonal levels need to be pretty far out of whack before there’s a really big cut in sperm production.)
OTOH, women have to stop two eggs per month, or stop them from being implanted in the uterine wall. A 99% reduction in fertility for women means that it’s very, very unlikely that they’re going to be able to get pregnant.
(Yes, women suffer from hormonal BC as well, but some women need it just to be able to live normal lives. It’s overall less of a problem than it ends up being for men. And women have the option of an IUD as well.)
Personally, I’m in favor of vasectomy; it’s allowed me to avoid having any children for 20-odd years now.
Ive also avoided making kids for the last decade or so but I was born with personality-based contraceptives so I dont know that it counts
Andrew Tate apparently made money selling his, if you want to try it as a business
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You are comparing sperm count and egg count as if the amount it an issue. For eggs not to be released, you end up nuking estrogen production. Hormonal BC for women is a lesser evil when comparing it to unwanted pregnancies and health conditions like endo, but you are underestimating just how bad constantly taking the pill for women is.Vasectomy is the way.
Vesectomy is the way if you know for sure that you never want children - they aren’t reversible like birth control are and shouldn’t really be considered reversible at all because there’s a very real risk of them not being so
You are comparing sperm count and egg count as if the amount it an issue
That’s because it is. If you have a 95% reduction in number of eggs, then your odds of pregnancy are very, very low. If you have a 95% drop in sperm count, then it’s still pretty easy for a woman to get pregnant.
Yes, taking hormonal BC is pretty bad for a number of women. OTOH, it’s a life saver for some women, like the ones that have 3.5 week periods. For women that experience adverse side effects from hormonal BC, I’d suggest IUDs. For the very, very small number of women that neither IUDs nor hormonal BC work for, I’d suggest using condoms, and avoiding states run by Republicans.
For men that aren’t sure, I would always suggest vasectomy first, or just learn to be gay (since it a choice, dontcha know, /s). If you end up changing your mind, be a foster parent.
The problem I’ve read with Vasalgel is that they had trouble getting enough voulenteers to test it. Trials are dragging out. It does appear to work otherwise.
I was holding out on it for a while, but ended up getting a vasectomy.
I thought that it, and the vasclips, had both failed in the larger clinical trials at achieving birth control rates that were even on par with hormonal BC. This is what I’m remembering from like seven or either years ago though (and internet search is such garbage now that I don’t know if I could find the sources I’m remembering).; there might be a different formulation now, or something.
From what I understand the problem with Vasagel isn’t it’s efficacy but with the reversibility. You can remove it from the tubes easily but the sperm might not perform as before.
Unfortunately no. The issue is. I worked under my supervisor that has been at the forefront of this tech for years.
The issue is men refuse to get the injection or any contraception that has side effects. Time and again the biggest obstacle for both men and women was that the procedure was not 100%.
Therefore the side effects could be permanent. Same as women but for some unknown reason both men and women were not happy to take the risk with a sperm reduction system that could fail in 2 ways.
It doesn’t stop sperm or it doesn’t stop stop sperm. The risks were too great that it wouldn’t be reversible or it wouldn’t be as effective as condom or pill. Both bring 99%.
They should be offered the opportunity to freeze their sperm at no cost if they have the vasectomy, as an insurance policy. Then the risk is null.
Freezing only lasts 10 years. I know because I have it.
What are you going to do at year 9 and 12 months 29 days?
I eat lots of stuff after the expiration date and I’m just fine. However, that’s probably not the best analogy to use when we’re talking about spermcicles.
So they can extend it but the quality will be reduced and likely I won’t be able to have kids. It was already pretty shot due to surgical trauma. Likely I just won’t be able to sire children.
Probably best for the world in that case
Under proper storage, sperm will last indefinitely. At least based on what sperm banks say
Not according to the hospital where mine is stored.
Do you think vasectomies are free?
In countries with proper national health, yes. Source: live in EU and got mine for the cost of the uber to get home.
I think they could be.
You mean we can’t blame the patriarch for under investment in men’s contraceptives and that it’s actually biology to blame? I’m SHOCKED.
Also, maybe I don’t want a needle stuck into my balls.
Maybe my partner taking oral contraceptive is better to ensure she doesn’t get pregnant.
Also are women supposed to just trust guys, or are they going to protect themselves every time.
Maybe the real reason we don’t have a male oral contraceptive is because the female ones protect the female first and foremost because people suck.
Vaselgel is too cheap to manufacture to get the funding it needs to bring it to market, that’s why they have been trying for 20 years and haven’t succeeded yet. In the US the rights are owned by a non profit Parsemu Foundation formed to fund it. It looks like their private partner NEXT Life Sciences is actually set to come to market with a vaselgel product in 2026 they are calling Plan A.
Interesting marketing choice comparing it to the Plan B pill.
If Plan A works, you don’t need Plan B… 😄
I think that was always the point of the name. this would just be a new plan A.
I thought they were implying something misogynist about women’s ability to plan and how the women’s plan will be considered only if the man’s fails first. Maybe that’s the way to get sex ed to where it’s needed though, “the first anti-woke birth control, putting the control back where it should be.” Wouldn’t be surprised in today’s America. /s
From what I’m reading, they’re not set to go to market; that’s just their goal. Most recent article I found was middle of last year that they had raised more money and were hoping to go to human trials by the end of the year. That aligns with what I remember about Vasalgel from years ago - they had finally made it to monkey trials but their monkey study was not showing a consistent ability to return to virility with the second injection. I seem to remember the proposed reason being that vas deferens in the monkeys/apes they were testing with are actually more delicate than humans’ and so humans should still likely be reversible. Last I heard, I believe they were trying to move forward on the human trial of proving that it works as a contraceptive, to be followed by a human trial showing reversibility. Then radio silence and funding issues. My assumption has always been that they struggled to jump to human trials because of the primate study results hurting the likelihood of reversibility. Hopefully they have reworked it to solve that, or maybe the acquisition and new funding is enough to just push through that regardless and see if humans will be fine.
A vasectomy in my twenties was the best decision I ever made.
10/10, would snip, tie and burn again.
If something like this had been about I’d have had it done at 21 rather than my wife fucking up her hormones with the pill for a few years before we ended up getting the permanent snip.
It’s just so damn expensive
Cheaper than a kid!
Covered by public health care where I am. Just mentioning this as a reminder to look into it wherever you live before assuming it’s expensive.
£500 well spent. Though I’m still annoyed that my local NHS trust wouldn’t fund it.
For me its something like 2500 in the private hospital because public system doctors will refuse to do it if you are “young” and have no kids
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I gave up on waiting for this tech to become available and just got a vasectomy.
It looks promising, even though it is quite far away from becoming available to the general public.
Still I wish that there was more of a push for something like a contraceptive pill for men. It feels like it has been ignored for years and only now they are starting a bit with development and trials…
I don’t think it’s been ignored. Birth control pills for men would be a massive money maker. (Here is a recent article I found on BC for men: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/male-contraceptive-disables-sperm)
While I am speaking way outside my confort zone here, it seems magnitudes harder to effectively disable millions of sperm and their associated production as opposed to simply knocking a woman’s hormone balance a little out of whack to prevent ovulation.
The bigger question is being ignored though: If we have to inject our scrotum with a gel, where are we going to store our pee???
We’ll just have to pee out of our butts like girls do.
Unfortunately there has to be almost no side effects for almost all users, as there are no (as yet) medical benefits to male contraception.
In women, not being pregnant can prevent death for some of them, regulate painful periods, etc. - it is considered the risk of the myriad side effects is worth it because at least it does some good.
For men, who do not become pregnant, not being able to get someone else pregnant is not a medical benefit for the man.
And unfortunately hormonal modification does cause problems. Lots of them.
Tbh I would call suicide prevention a health benefit. Have you seen the prices of gestures wildly
How many men are committing suicide because they got someone pregnant? Feel like having women fall down stairs or just being an absentee father seems to be the preferred action…
More options are great I suppose, but as a gem-xer I don’t get the modern revolt against the condom. Modern condoms are pretty damn thin / good and are a form of male birth control with bonus of very good disease prevention, have next to no side effects, and minimize messes too.
All true, but they also feel awful, sometimes painfully tight, and are total erection killers. I use them, but I hate using them.
It’s the pause in the flow of things to go get one and put it on plus difficulty finding the right size. Used em my entire life until my wife had an IUD put in. After a few ears she had it removed and going back to condoms was not super fun for either of us.
On the bright side for me, a vasectomy solved all these issues and was totally worth the minimal process to get it. This solution sounds like a dream honestly.
Feeling awful is true (or having less feeling overall), but you can just buy a bigger size if it’s too tight. The run of the mill condoms are uncomfortable for me too, look at something like https://www.my-size-condoms.com/
I can vouch for My Size. They have a sizing guide to ensure that you’re picking the correct size, they fit very nicely and snuggly but aren’t uncomfortable, and are vegan too. Both partners I’ve had/have and tried them with had no complaints whatsoever.
Additionally, these are also great if you’re on the smaller side.
Needles ahoy then mate!
Well look at mister big dick over here…
Modern?
Has it increased in some way over time? I think men not wanting to wear condoms because of how they feel is a tale as old as the condom itself.
I think for those that have grown up with porn in their palms it is different yes. Admittedly that’s my impression and that of my peer group. I’m not aware of data on the matter.
IMO for anyone in a stable monoamorous relationship, the IUD is the superior option, as long as the female partner is a good fit for it and doesn’t have complications from it.
My wife had significant issues with hers, including basically never-ending spotting and occasional surprise periods, cramps, mood issues, etc. She had it removed after 2 years.
I’m thinking a vasectomy is the next thing, but it isn’t covered on my insurance and finding a doctor is intimidating.
Condoms suck for everyone involved
That’s an interesting generalization. I’m going to to count myself out of everyone then.
There’s no harm in condom + anything else considering all the horror stories of condoms accidentally/intentionally not working.
This gives another option that sounds pretty easy and not very invasive for anyone.
There are horror stories for everything. There are also statistics. If you prefer horror stories to the latter there is nothing you shouldn’t fear.
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They are going to need to work on their sales pitch…
Meanwhile, BDSM practitioners are thinking “two birds with one stone (to the nuts)”
Hot sexy babe will inject gel into your scrotum.
This isn’t exactly new. Vasalgel offers a similar injection that blocks the tubes, however before then back in the early 2010’s there was also a guy in India testing a better version which did not block the tubes - the compound was polarised, and when the sperm went through it was disoriented such that it couldn’t swim to the egg. The human clinical trials had a 100% success rate at preventing pregnancy, albeit human trials tend not to have that many people (I think there were 26). My understanding is that this became Vasalgel because the pharmacuetical industry didn’t like the fact that it completely avoided the complications that can come with vasectomies where the tube is completely blocked.
These reversable, injectable, male contraceptives have been promised for at least 5 years, when will they come to market?
A lot longer than that unfortunetly
Edit: Found an older link
Been trying this for 2 decades
How does it compare to Vasalgel?
Is this not the exact same thing as vasalgel? How is this new or different?
bet politicians wont be lining up to regulate and ban this after 15 weeks
Wanna bet?
