New Birth Contol Option Being Developed For Men

Male Birth Control

 

A new birth control method might be hitting U.S. markets in the next few years – this time it’s a long-term (and easily reversible) option for men.

This new procedure is basically a modified vasectomy. Instead of “snipping,” the doctor injects a clear liquid that coats the inside of the vas deferens. It renders the sperm incapable of fertilizing an egg as they pass through (if you can stand it, there’s a video of the procedure at the link below). The working name is RISUG (reversible inhibition of sperm under guidance) and the results so far have been promising.

From Wired magazine:

…in study after study, RISUG has been proven to work 100 percent of the time. Among the hundreds of men who have been successfully injected with the compound so far in clinical trials, there has not been a single failure or serious adverse reaction. The procedure is now in late Phase III clinical trials in India, which means approval in that country could come in as little as two years.

In both the East and the West, the need for better contraceptives couldn’t be clearer. India will soon surpass China as the world’s most populous nation; in the poorest Indian state, women bear an average of nearly four children. Cheap to produce and relatively easy to administer, RISUG could help poor couples limit their families—increasing their chances of escaping poverty. In the developed countries, it would help relieve women of the risks of long-term birth-control-pill use and give men a more reliable, less annoying option than condoms. About half of all pregnancies in the US are unplanned. Come up with a better contraceptive and the likely results are all good: fewer unwanted kids, fewer single parents, and fewer abortions.

 

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