Scientists have developed a gel that has little or no side-effects, which will give men more options and actively involve them in family planning and pregnancy prevention. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
If a man wishes to restore the flow of sperms, whether after months or years, a thin needle is once again passed into the vas deferens and an alkaline solution (like sodium bicarbonate) is injected into the tube.
A new method of male contraception that is as effective as vasectomy, but reversible, has shown promising results and could be available in the Kenyan market soon.
Scientists have developed a gel that has little or no side-effects, which will give men more options and actively involve them in family planning and pregnancy prevention.
The non-hormonal method—Vasalgel— is expected to be one of other options for men to prevent pregnancy, alongside vasectomy, condoms, and abstinence.
The water-based gel is injected with a small needle into the tube that sperm swim through from the testicles—the vas deferens—forming a semi-permeable barrier that allows fluids such as semen (now without the sperm) to pass through but not a sperm due to their size. It filters out the sperm.
The gel, which is injected in the tube on each testicle showed promising results in animal trials. This contraceptive is unlike cutting and severing the duct, as it is done in vasectomy.
Sexual function
Dr Amir Zarrabi, a specialist in male fertility and microsurgery at the division of Urology at Stellenbosch University told Business Daily that the gel can be effective for up to 10 years.
“The effect might not be immediate, as there are some sperms that are left in the tube and may still be there for anything between three to six weeks. Vasalgel stops the new sperms,” Dr Zarrabi said on phone. The gel does not affect normal sexual function, he clarified.
If a man wishes to restore the flow of sperms, whether after months or years, a thin needle is once again passed into the vas deferens and an alkaline solution (like sodium bicarbonate) is injected into the tube.
This dissolves the gel and is flushed from the duct and sperm can once again flow through the tubes unobstructed, Dr Zarrabi said.
This reversal, though, has only been attempted in 12 rabbits where the sperm concentration before and after the gel implantation. It showed that 11 of the 12 had no sperm concentration during any measurement after implantation, while one rabbit had very low levels in a few samples. Another study with baboons is ongoing. The result were published in Basic & Clinical Andrology, a peer-reviewed journal.
The study revealed that rabbits had no sperm in their semen as early as 29 days post-injection and the contraceptive effect was durable throughout the 12-month period.
This method though, does not offer any protection against sexually transmitted infections such as HIV. Although vasectomies are quick and straightforward procedures that carry minor risks like bleeding or infection, the uptake among Kenyan men is still very low.
Three years ago, only 2.2 per cent of men globally had vasectomies compared to 18.9 per cent of women who underwent female sterilisation. In Africa, only 0.1 per cent of men have undergone the procedure. In Kenya, most women bear the burden of family planning with a majority using injectables, followed by implants and the pill.
The gel could be one of the most effective male birth control methods, easing the burden on women who have to take hormonal contraceptives.
Previously, researchers used hormonal manipulation to develop a male contraceptive, similar to the way that the pills for women work. However, these were shelved due to side-effects and low efficacy. Already, Indonesian men have a daily male contraceptive pill, which is non-hormonal and derived from a plant.
Dyan Pramesti, a researcher on the pill and a lecturer at Airlangga University School of Medicine in Indonesia said the plant was used by Papuan men as a contraceptive.
“The leaves are boiled and the juice gives immediate contraceptive effect,” she said.
The university has carried out trials that shows that the oral pill does not kill nor affect the sperms mobility or strength. She said the plant extracts works by “inhibiting the function of an enzyme in the head of sperm that has a function of penetrating the egg. As such it does not fertilise the egg and thus no pregnancy.
