According to a CBS News report, researchers at Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at UCLA Medical Center have announced the development of a promising new male contraceptive gel.
According to the report, the new gel contains the male hormone testosterone and a progestin called Nesterone. Progestin is a synthetic hormone that mimics the female hormone progesterone and increases the contraceptive effectiveness of testosterone in men.
But a report by KHOU out of Texas says male contraception is still very much in the development phase. The report quotes researchers as saying that the contraceptive hasn’t been consistently effective for men using it in clinical tests. It’s also been linked to side effects including weight gain, acne, depression and possible heart problems.
Female contraceptives with progestin have also been linked to potentially dangerous side effects. While all birth control pills carry a risk of blood clots, a number of studies indicate that pills with the synthetic hormone drospirenone cause up to three times the rate of potentially dangerous blood clots than other oral contraceptives on the market.
Female contraceptives with drospirenone include Yaz, Yasmin, Beyaz and Ocella.
Advantages to the male birth control, according to the KHOU report, is that it’s far less invasive than a vasectomy. It’s also reversible, and men who use it would regain fertility in three to six months.
The CBS report cites a study funded by the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development involving 99 men. One-third were given a gel containing testosterone and a placebo for six months and the remaining two-thirds were given a gel with testosterone and either 8 or 12 milligrams of Nestosterone. Only 56 completed at least 20 weeks of the treatment protocol.
The researchers found that 88 to 89 percent of the men receiving the new gel achieved a sperm concentration of less than 1 million sperm per milliliter, while only 23 percent of men in the testosterone/placebo group reached that level. Depending on dosage, there was a complete absence of sperm in 69 to 79 percent of the men taking the new gel, compared with 23 percent of the men in the comparison group.
Patients should consult their doctors before making any changes in their medication. A consultation with a Beyaz lawyer is also important if there are significant injuries while on Beyaz or similar birth control pills.
See the CBS story here:
See the KHOU story here:
https://www.khou.com/news/The-pill-for-dudes-Birth-control-for-men-in-the-works-161771125.html
