Finally: A Birth-Control Gel For Men Is In The Works

You gellin’ like Magellan on that male birth control?

Alright then, let’s dooo this.

According to Gizmodo:

This week, researchers officially kicked off the first wide-scale clinical trial of a male contraceptive topical gel.

Who signs up for these trials? How much money is worth the possibility of accidentally getting knocked up?

The trial, funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), is set to enroll 420 (nice) relatively healthy and young couples. The couples will be recruited from nine different study sites in seven countries scattered across the globe, including Chile, England, and Sweden. But the first batch of volunteers will come from sites in the U.S. in Seattle, California, and Kansas.

So the first batch of volunteers if from Seattle, California & Kansas… Sex in Kansas is a thing???

The gel itself is a combination of the brand name drug Nestorone, which is a progestin hormone, and testosterone. While still relying on other contraceptives, male volunteers will apply the NES/T gel daily (to their arms and shoulders) for about 20 weeks. Once their sperm counts have plummeted to a point identified as infertility, they and their female partners will then be asked to only use the gel for pregnancy prevention for the next year. After one year, they’ll stop taking the gel and be tracked for another six months to ensure that the effects on sperm count are reversible.

There’s only one other gel men use that prevents children and it’s “Too Much”:

So it’s only in the beginning stages & it’s not perfect yet but finally, we’re paying attention to what other countries have been doing for a hot minute & evening the responsibility playing field a little bit…

But, ah, not everyone is excited about it. Scrolling around it didn’t take long to stumble upon guys who were either skeptical, hesitant or flat out against it.

The hesitation is understandable because it’s a little daunting to have to adjust your body for sex… Just ask a woman.

Hormones, barriers, intrauterine devices, sterilization, behaviors, emergency contraceptions; Among them the sponge, the patch, the ring, pills, shots, implants, female condoms, cervical caps, tube tying, tube cutting, morning after pills & IUDs…

They can effect our bodies (weight gain & loss, nausea, headaches, bleeding, decreased sex drive, etc.), our chemical makeup (and thus our emotions) & last but not least, our finances (which sucks because on average we already make less than men).

And in most cases the entirety of these burdens fall squarely on our shoulders. From what I’ve noticed (this chick totally fucks #humblebrag) most guys are usually unaware of anything having to do with it until it’s time for them to complain about wearing a condom. We’re the ones who face the responsibility of contraception, the enormous consequences of the results if it fails & the heavy choices that come with that. We’re also the ones who get shit on for it.

So yeah, it’s a real gettin-the-pipe dream for me to hear they’re finally working on a form of birth control besides dong bags that men have to worry about instead. Even if this one doesn’t work out I hope it becomes more of a focus so it doesn’t all fall on us.

And despite the haters I know there’s some gents out there who will be into it.