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New male contraceptive may be submitted for Indian approval this year

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Re: New male contraceptive may be submitted for Indian approval this year

#61

Post by _archon_ »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #51
k-mcgrady wrote: post #26

I wonder how this would effect STD rates in areas with bad sex ed? I could see a lot of people thinking 'don't need a condom because I can't make someone pregnant now'. Not that this product is a bad thing, very useful for people in monogamous relationships.

I don't really see how this would be much different that the pill, though.

There's likely a subset of men who wear condoms when sleeping around so they can decrease their risk of babies (a measure so they don't have to trust that the woman they're with is both on the pill and taking it regularly). They might not wear them if this contraceptive decreases pregnancy risk in a similar way. STDs may not seem risky enough to merit condoms for a portion of this subset.

This smaller subset would be at higher risk of STDs if they adopt use of this contraceptive and stop condom use while still sleeping around. If the trend continued, the incidence of STDs would increase, which would change the risk factor of STDs, which would sway a subset back into condom use.

All is balance.

Re: New male contraceptive may be submitted for Indian approval this year

#62

Post by k-mcgrady »

giarc wrote: post #54
k-mcgrady wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could you explain this further? I don't quite understand.

Not OP but argument is likely that condoms are expensive.

Depends I suppose. They're generally free from your local doctor/clinic/sexual health charity in the UK.

Re: New male contraceptive may be submitted for Indian approval this year

#63

Post by k-mcgrady »

adrianN wrote: post #60
k-mcgrady wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could you explain this further? I don't quite understand.

Poor people are typically less educated and (I guess) are not as well informed about STDs as more affluent people. In countries without a proper healthcare system they are probably also less likely to get STDs treated. Unwanted children are typically not good for getting out of poverty.

Interesting. Didn't think of it like that.

Re: New male contraceptive may be submitted for Indian approval this year

#64

Post by _archon_ »

jmedefind wrote: post #33
earlyriser wrote: post #28

I remember reading about this maybe 6 years ago. What was memorable was that the gel was even cheaper than the syringe. It's sad how slow these things move and that we're not going to have that in North-America for a good time.

They just finished animal trials in the US and are hoping to start human trials soon. https://www.parsemusfoundation.org/projects/vasalgel/

Thanks for this update! I had a vague notion that such a product was in the works, but having trials in the next year or two is fantastic progress.

Re: New male contraceptive may be submitted for Indian approval this year

#65

Post by Batro »

JshWright wrote: post #57
Batro wrote: post #47

This seems quite perfect in theory. Not invasive, lasts for a long time, just one shot and then you're done... I hope the clinical tests will bring good news for that project, because this is something I would do if it comes on the market one day.

While it is far _less_ invasive than some options, it is still an invasive procedure, and not without risks. Obviously, for many patients, the benefits will massively outweigh the risks (assuming the clinical testing bears out the initial results).

Yeah, I spoke (or rather typed) too fast : it's still an injection, you're right, but at least it's not a complete surgery operation.

Re: New male contraceptive may be submitted for Indian approval this year

#66

Post by _archon_ »

Ericson2314 wrote: post #48

This would seem to be the best birth control for either sex. Fingers crossed it makes it to market.

I currently believe that birth control should be actively employed by all parties. I look forward to a viable male contraceptive making it to market.

Re: New male contraceptive may be submitted for Indian approval this year

#67

Post by mohaine »

MichaelGG wrote: post #59

Testosterone will also do this. There are long release esters so you only need an injection every few months. Even with a bimonthly shot, it costs about $10/mo. (On mobile, but there was a study in China with T undecanoate showing amazing effectiveness.) Downside is that in the US, testosterone is, hilariously, Schedule III. But 5 minutes with Google should have you sorted. Can get OTC in other places.

No thanks. No way I'm offsetting the cost/work of having a child vs the reliability of a Hackernews doctor and a Googled drug source.

Re: New male contraceptive may be submitted for Indian approval this year

#68

Post by nommm-nommm »

jlebrech wrote: post #12

I thought it was going to be a pill, we already have vasectomies.

1) Vasectomies are a surgical procedure, this is an injection. Opening up the male contraceptive market to those unwilling to undergo surgery but willing to get an injection is HUGE.

2) Surgery requires healing time, this doesn't.

3) The risk of injection is significantly less than the risk of surgery.

4) LARCs - Long Acting Reversible Contraception, those that work for an extended period of time without user action but are reversible when pregnancy is desired, are pretty much the holy grail of contraception. Currently we have IUDs and implants as the only LARCs. The Depo Provera shot is sorta-kinda LARC-ish, it requires user action 4 times a year. This is intended to be reversible with a second injection, eventually.

5) Adding more contraceptive options, especially for men, is pretty much never a bad idea. Choice is good. Even with all the options there are my spouse and I have not found not a single option that is ideal for us. THIS would be absolutely ideal for us and I'm stoked to hear about it.

6) Its much cheaper!

Re: New male contraceptive may be submitted for Indian approval this year

#69

Post by thinkmilitant »

nailer wrote: post #38
wayn3 wrote: post #31

- I'm not paying money to have needle injecting chemicals with unexplored potential (longterm) side effects into my private parts when the potential success rate is that of a condom. Condoms kind of work. - "The pill" is a bit more than just a contraceptive. A variety of issues, ranging from skin problems to hormonal imabalances are regulated through the pill, which quite efficiently normalizes outliers in female hor…

The previous "male pill" side effects included inability to maintain an erection. Which makes coitus somewhat difficult.

Well, that is one way to prevent unwanted pregnancy...

Re: New male contraceptive may be submitted for Indian approval this year

#70

Post by nommm-nommm »

jlebrech wrote: post #21
24gttghh wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This isn't a vasectomy...it's a gel injected into the vas deferens which does not block the flow of sperm, but reacts with the negative charge of the sperm to render them infertile. The gel may also removed with another quick injection to flush.

but you might forget about it for 10years and it might flush itself.

>About 540 men have received it in India, where it continues to prevent pregnancies in their partners 13 years after treatment

Disregarding that, this is such a non-issue that you're being downright silly. Women have IUDs and implants and don't suddenly "forget" they have them.

Ignoring that there's absolutely no reason not to bring this to market because there's a small chance of user error. That's like saying "condoms shouldn't exist because you can run out."

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