Male Birth Control Working On Rabbits, Humans Are Next

• Vasalgel, a reversible injection, blocked sperm in pre-clinical trials in rabbits.• Male birth control pills have shown efficacy in animals.• We’re closer to viable male birth control, but a human version is still years away. Male birth control may be years out, but there are pills and injections in the works that are already stopping the flow of sperm in trials. These new methods tout all the orgasm without all the mess (and babies). Several outlets are hailing Vasalgel, a reversible form of birth control that blocks the flow of sperm after being injected into the vas deferens, the duct that brings sperm from the testes to the urethra. But it's way too early to celebrate -- the polymer injection is in pre-clinical trials and has only been successfully administered to 12 rabbits. Still, the results, released on Tuesday, are promising. Vasalgel is meant to serve as an easily reversible replacement for vasectomy. Rather than severing the vas deferens, as doctors do for vasectomy, Vasagel  would be injected to create a gel barrier for sperm. (Vasalgel appears to have no effect on orgasm or ejaculation, and even though sperm is blocked, seminal fluids can still be released.)  When a man wants to reverse the process, a second injection would dissolve the polymer and open the vas deferens for business.   Clinical trials in humans should take place later this year, according to a press release by the Parsemus...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news