Product News and Recalls

Gel shows promise as male birth control

According to a report in ScienceDaily, a hormone skin gel is showing promise as a form of male birth control.

At The Endocrine Society’s 94th Annual Meeting in Houston, scientists unveiled preliminary research indicating that an application of both testosterone and a synthetic progestin hormone called Nestorone to the skin significantly lowered the sperm counts in men tested.

The report quotes principal investigator Christine Wang, MD, professor at Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, as saying: “This is the first time that testosterone and Nestorone have been applied to the skin together to deliver adequate amounts of hormones that suppress sperm production. Men can use transdermal gels at home — unlike the usual injections and implants, which must be given in a health care provider’s office.”

Use of synthetic hormones has proven problematic in some forms of female birth control. While all birth control pills can increase the risk of blood clots, a number of studies indicate that birth control pills containing the synthetic hormone drospirenone carry up to three times that risk compared to other birth control pills on the market.

Pills with drospirenone include Yaz, Yasmin, Beyaz and Ocella.

According to the ScienceDaily report, prior studies of male contraceptives that combined testosterone and progestin used progestin pills, implants or shots.

Progestin increases the contraceptive effectiveness of testosterone in men. And both testosterone and progestin work together to turn off production of reproductive hormones controlling the production of sperm. And Nestorone, unlike other progestins studied as male contraceptives, doesn’t cause the kind of hormone activity that can cause side effects such as acne and changes in good and bad cholesterol.

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 story here:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120625125138.htm