Birth control for men: Works in monkeys, humans next – Bangkok Post

(Source: Screen shot from Time video embedded in article)

Search for long-term, reversible, non-surgical birth control for men to avoid side-effects that women suffer from birth control pills, coming soon.

HEALTH, MEDICINE & BIRTH CONTROL

AFP News Agency

A new medical technology that prevents pregnancy long-term and is used by the man, not the woman, will likely be available soon.

A gel squirted into the sperm ducts of male monkeys has been effective at preventing pregnancy.

Male humans may be squirting it into their sperm ducts soon, if their girlfriend or wife insists.

THE SEARCH FOR MALE BIRTH CONTROL

While several birth control options exist for women, the race is on for a non- surgical, long-term and reversible male contraceptive without the negative side effects of hormonal changes that women who use birth control pills often suffer from.

The only short-term solutions available today are condoms, which many people complain interfere with sex, and withdrawal before ejaculation, which comes with a high risk of pregnancy.

VASECTOMY CURRENTLY ONLY LONG-TERM OPTION

Longer term, the sole option is a vasectomy, which involves tying or cutting the sperm conducting tubes called the vas deferens.

This prevents sperm from mixing with seminal fluid ejaculated during sex.

Vasectomies can be reversed in some cases, but the procedure is technically challenging and leads to low rates of fertility.

The YouTube video below describes and explains the medical procedure of the vasectomy:

MONKEYS ANATOMICALLY SIMILAR TO HUMANS: SO MAY WORK IN HUMANS TOO

Researchers in the US are developing a possible alternative to the vasectomy, dubbed Vasalgel, which has proven effective in rabbits and now also in rhesus monkeys -- more closely related and anatomically similar to humans.

Vasalgel is a polymer gel injected directly into the vas deferens, creating a blockage in the tube that transports sperm from the testes out through the penis.

(Source: Parsemus Foundation)

NO BABIES AFTER THE MONKEYS WERE INJECTED

In an experiment at the California National Primate Research Center, 16 adult male monkeys were treated.

They were housed with females, and monitored for up to two years -- covering at least one breeding season per animal.

"Treated males have had no conceptions since Vasalgel injections," the research team wrote in the journal Basic and Clinical Andrology (see here).

PREGNANCY RATE TYPICALLY 80%

Normally, the expected pregnancy rate among females housed with males would have been about 80 percent.

MINIMAL COMPLICATIONS

"The presence of Vasalgel appears to be well tolerated and placement resulted in minimal complications," the researchers wrote.

One monkey of the 16 had symptoms of sperm granuloma, a buildup in the vas deferens which is a common complication in about 60 percent of human vasectomies, they added.

Not yet tested in monkeys, the reversibility of the method was tested in earlier experiments in rabbits, when the gel was successfully flushed out with solution of sodium bicarbonate.

CLINICAL TRIAL IN HUMANS COMING SOON

Preparations are underway for a clinical trial with Vasalgel in humans, said the Parsemus Foundation, a non-profit organisation funding the product's development.

The research has benefits for the monkeys as well, researchers added.

It is ideal to house captive rhesus monkeys in groups for their social welfare, but populations can quickly explode due to high fertility.

And vasectomy in monkeys is more complex than in humans, with many complications.

PROCEDURE WORKED IN EVERY SINGLE MONKEY, WITHOUT EXCEPTION

"We were impressed that this alternative worked in every single monkey, even though this was our first time trying it," said Angela Colagross-Schouten, the project's lead veterinarian.

Basic reproductive health and family planning information:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsemus_Foundation

https://www.parsemusfoundation.org/projects/vasalgel/

https://www.facebook.com/Vasalgel

http://time.com/4661209/male-birth-control-gel/

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/feb/07/successful-male-contraceptive-gel-trial-brings-new-form-of-birth-control-closer-vasalgel

alternative : another choice - ,

anatomically : regarding the structure of the body -

appear : to seem - ,

at least : the smallest amount possible, could be more than this -

available : that you can get, use, find or buy - ,

benefit : an advantage you get from a situation; a helpful or good effect, or something intended to help - , ,

birth control (noun): the practice of controlling the number of children a person has, using various methods of contraception (preventing a mother from becoming pregnant, i.e., having a child developing in her body) -

blockage : a thing that blocks flow or movement, for example of a liquid in a narrow place - , ,

breeding : the producing of young animals, plants, etc -

buildup : accumulation; when something increases over time and there is more and more of it at some place - , ,

challenge : something that needs a lot of skill, energy, and determination to deal with or achieve - ,

complain : to say that you are annoyed, unhappy or not satisfied about somebody/something - ,

complex : having a lot of details or small parts that make it difficult to understand or deal with -

complication : something which makes a situation more difficult, or when it does this - ,

complications : additional medical problems which make it more difficult to treat an existing illness -

conception : the creation of a baby in the womb if the mother; the action of conceiving a child or of a child being conceived. -

condom (noun): a thin rubber covering that a man wears over his penis during sex to stop a woman from becoming pregnant or to protect against disease -

conduct : carry something from one place to another, such as electricity or heat -

contraceptive : preventing pregnancy - ,

contraceptive : a drug, device or practice used to prevent a woman becoming pregnant -

dubbed : given a name - ,

duct (noun): a long pipe or tube in a building that carries something such as water, heated air or wires -

due to : because of -

effective : producing the result that was intended -

exist : to be real; to be present in a place or situation -

expect (verb): to think or believe that something will happen or that somebody will do something - , ,

experiment : a test of products, substances, new ideas, methods, etc. to find out what effect they have -

explode : increase to a very large amount quickly -

fertility (noun): the ability to have babies; how many babies women have in a country - , ,

fertility rate : how many babies people are having; the speed at which people are having babies -

flush : (of a large amount of water) to suddenly flow through -

fund : money provided for something -

hormonal : related to homrones, a chemical substance produced in animals and plants that controls things such as growth and sexual development , -

ideal : the best possible -

impressed : to admire or respect someone because of something that he or she has done or said -

inject : to put a drug or another substance into your body through the skin -

injection : putting a liquid, especially a drug, into a person's body using a needle and a syringe -

insist : to say very firmly that something must happen or must be done -

interfere : to deliberately become involved in a situation and try to influence the way that it develops, although you have no right to do this -

long-term : that will last or have an effect over a long period of time -

male : being a man or a boy -

medical : connected with illness and injury and their treatment - , ,

method : a particular way of doing something - ,

minimal : very small in amount - ,

mix : a combination or mixture of different things -

monitor : to regularly check something or watch someone in order to find out what is happening -

national (adjective): for the whole country - ,

negative : bad -

non-profit (adj): without the aim of making a profit (earning money for a company, yourself) -

normally : as usual; properly -

option : choice -

penis (noun): the organ on the body of a man or male animal that is used for urinating and sex -

pill : a small flat round piece of medicine that you swallow without chewing it -

placement : the act of placing something somewhere -

polymer (noun): a natural or artificial substance consisting of large molecules (= groups of atoms) that are made from combinations of small simple molecules -

possible : that can be done; that can exist -

pregnancy : the state of being pregnant, having a baby developing inside -

presence : the fact of being in a particular place, thing or situation - ,

Read more:
Birth control for men: Works in monkeys, humans next - Bangkok Post