Most women around the world use various contraceptives. For now, only two reliable methods are available to men: a condom and a vasectomy, that is, surgical sterilization. MedPortal studied these and other methods of contraception for men, and found out what to expect from medicine in the future.
Most reliable
Approximately 21% of the inhabitants of the world use male condoms as the main method of contraception. In Russia, the popularity of this method is even higher: according to an VTsIOM survey, 52% of our compatriots choose condoms. WHO considers this method to be very effective, and most importantly, the only one that works on two fronts at once. When used correctly, condoms provide 98% protection against pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV.
Problems can only arise if a condom is used incorrectly. Or when using unsuitable lubricants.
The most radical
Perhaps the most radical method of male contraception today is an operation that is performed under local anesthesia, it takes about 30 minutes. The doctor cuts the vas deferens, which prevents sperm from entering the ejaculate. This sterilizes the man, but all other functions of both the penis and testicles remain in order. Vasectomy provides the most reliable protection against pregnancy, with a misfire rate of only 0.1%, but it does not protect against STDs.
The method has significant limitations. For the first few months after the operation, you must continue to use additional contraception until a special test shows that everything went well. It is also important to remember that a vasectomy is almost impossible to reverse. According to the UN, 2.4% of men in the world have undergone this procedure.
Reverse vasectomy is performed under general anesthesia. This is a complex microsurgical operation. However, fertility does not always return.
Magic Pill
The first oral contraceptive for women appeared in 1960. But the men's will have to wait. There are already developments and even some successes in this field. The essence of contraceptives for men is to suppress the formation of spermatozoa and achieve a state of azoospermia, when the ejaculate is formed, but practically does not contain the sperm itself.
And, oddly enough, testosterone claims to be the hormonal contraceptive for men. The method worked only in 65% of the subjects, but its effectiveness in them reached 99%, like in female contraceptives. The researchers also noted that the subjects had side effects: overweight, acne, a decrease in testicular volume, an increase in hemoglobin levels, and others. However, this is also observed when women take contraception.
Scientists are also experimenting with various combinations of testosterone with other substances. Studies show high efficiency in most cases. However, for now, the magic pill will have to wait, as pharmaceutical companies have limited funding for research.
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Promising development
Another promising, albeit laboratory, method of male contraception is Vasalgel. Developed from was back in the 70s in India. But it is still undergoing tests, although it has shown both its effectiveness and reversibility.
Vasalgel is an injection of a special gel-like substance that blocks the vas deferens. This «cork» works as a filter, it passes the ejaculate, but sterilizes the spermatozoa. The antidote is baking soda, and unlike vasectomy, the method is completely reversible.
In 2010, the American company Parsemus Foundation bought a patent for the drug for just one hundred thousand dollars. The recipe was improved and successfully tested on animals. However, large-scale human tests never happened, and pharmaceutical companies are in no hurry to invest in research.
Extreme Technology
Chinese researchers have found a completely different approach to contraception. Instead of trying to chemically kill sperm, prevent their production, or just lock them up in the testicles, scientists are proposing to practically boil them.
For sterilization, presumably reversible, it is proposed to inject magnetic nanoparticles coated with a biocompatible polymer intravenously. Then, with the help of an external magnetic field, they must be moved to the testicles and heated there in a controlled manner.
Temperature effectively sterilizes sperm. The authors themselves note that nanoparticles make it possible to get by with a very gentle increase in temperature, since they act only locally, on a small surrounding volume.
Unreliable technologies
According to VTsIOM data, 12% of Russians consider a good method of contraception interrupted intercourse. However, according to the WHO, the risk of getting pregnant remains very high, since the pre-seminal fluid, the so-called pre-ejaculate, may contain sperm.