Taking a huge leap towards preventing unwanted pregnancies through male birth control, the Indian Council Of Medical Research has successfully completed the clinical trials of the world's first injectable male contraceptive.
During phase 3 of the clinical trials, the ICMR researchers published a study in the Indian Journal Of Medical Research, which stated that after one month of the injection, 82.7% of men did not have any sperm in their ejaculated semen for the next month, a condition that is termed azoospermia. However, 17.3% of men had manifested azoospermia within three to six months.
Long Lasting, Reversible Contraceptive For Men
Phase 3 of the trials saw participation by 303 candidates in the age group 25-40 and showed that this method of birth control for men is safe and highly effective without serious side effects.
The participants were healthy, sexually active, and married men, and were injected with 60 mg of Reversible Inhibition of Sperm Under Guidance (RISUG). The study revealed that the overall efficacy of RISUG was 97.3%, and is the most effective method of contraception for both men and women.
Also Read: Contraceptive Pills For Men: Effectiveness, Side Effects, Availability & More
The researchers informed that RISUG is a nonhormonal, reversible, and polymer gel-based injection that works much like a vasectomy. However, instead of cutting the vas deferens or the sperm tube, which carries the sperm from the testicles to the penis, RISUG is injected into it to block it. Once in there, the gel sticks to the inner walls of the tube and damages the sperm that passes through to stop them from fertilising the egg.
What is great about this method is that it is completely reversible. A simple injection of sodium bicarbonate (aka baking soda) can flush out the polymer gel and clear out the sperm tube.
Also Read: Side-effects of overuse of contraceptives
The researchers of the study concluded that RISUG can revolutionise birth control and reduce the stigma around it. This way more and more people can be encouraged to use contraceptives to avoid unplanned or unwanted pregnancies. Additionally, the researchers cited the huge surge in world population as the prime factor that motivated them to urgently develop modern methods of male contraception for population control.
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