Vasalgel could spell end to vasectomies in men
Men need not get the cut or use condoms as a form of contraception as a new product called Vasalgel is easily injectable and just as easily reversible.
PETALING JAYA: We’ve heard how men dread getting a vasectomy as a form of birth control. We have also heard about the reluctance of some men to wear condoms or worse yet, simply abstain from sexual intercourse as alternative and effective forms of birth control.
Well, the good news is that there is currently a new form of male contraception being developed by scientists at the Parsemus Foundation in San Francisco that does not come with the pain, bleeding and occasional infection usually associated with vasectomies.
Called Vasalgel, this long-acting birth control is essentially a contraceptive gel injected directly into the vas deferens, the passage sperm swim through, creating an impenetrable barrier so sperm are stopped in their tracks. Best yet, the gel lasts for years.
In a vasectomy the vas deferens is snipped, making the procedure permanent. With Vasalgel, all it takes is another injection to flush the gel out, thereby restoring a man’s fertility whether after just a few months or years.
Clinical trials are now set to begin in 2015 in order to make Vasalgel available in the market by 2017. According to current estimates, the product should not exceed USD 800 in cost.
A similar form of birth control for men was introduced some 15 years ago in India called RISUG. This too has shown great success in clinical trials and formed the inspiration behind the creation of Vasalgel.
While men do have some reason to rejoice should this male contraceptive make it on the market, it also means women do not have to rely on birth control pills which are hormonal in nature and come with its fair share of side effects that include weight gain and nausea including the inability to conceive even after many months off it.
