After 10 years of research, American experts are ready to begin clinical trials of a new type of male contraceptive

After 10 years of research, American experts are ready to begin clinical trials of a new type of male contraceptive - a local gel that prevents the development of spermatozoa

This is written by MIT Technology Review.

Clinical trials will begin in April, last for 4 years and will be the largest in the US for hormonal contraceptives for men.

More than 400 couples will take part in them, and not only from the United States, but also from Britain, Italy, Sweden, Chile and Kenya. Previous large-scale tests conducted in Europe from 2008 to 2012, which included hormonal injections every two months, really prevented pregnancy, but led to significant fluctuations in mood and other serious side effects.

The new drug consists of two synthetic hormones - progestin and testosterone. Progestin blocks the production of a sufficient amount of testosterone for the normal level of sperm, and testosterone is needed to balance the hormonal imbalance.

Contraceptive is made in the form of a gel, which will need to be rubbed daily. His actions are enough for 72 hours, so even if a man skipped one day, nothing terrible will happen.

During a pair test, the drug will be used for at least four months in parallel with any woman's contraceptive, and scientists - to monitor the level of sperm, which should be reduced to less than a million per millimeter, so that the risk of pregnancy becomes scarce.



As soon as this happens, couples will refuse women's contraceptives and will only use gel during the year.

This method has already proved its effectiveness in a six-month study, but then the drug was issued in the form of two different gels, which should be applied to different parts of the body, and specialists of the National Institute of Pediatrics and Human Development changed the formula and combined gels into one.

This form is better than pills because testosterone is rapidly released from the body, and in the form of a gel, it is longer absorbed by the skin and remains in the blood. However, it remains questionable whether men will use this type of contraception?

Earlier pharmacological companies did not show interest in such drugs, but times are changing. The attitude to them varies from country to country, but according to a 2010 global survey, at least 25% of men agree to try.

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