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  • Let's talk about sex.

  • I know that's the last thing most of you wanted to hear me say, but I have big science-related

  • news about it!

  • Right now clinical trials are underway for a new form of birth-control for men.

  • Currently if you're a man and you want to be the responsible one while doinking, there's

  • really only two options - a vasectomy, which is not convenient or always reversible; or

  • a condom, which is convenient, cheap, and effective at stopping both pregnancies and

  • STDs when used correctly.

  • But some men don't like the way a condom affects the sensation of sex and would rather

  • do without it.

  • Or so I've heard.

  • So the two methods of male birth control rely on physical barriers to stop sperm from reaching

  • an egg.

  • By contrast, there are a lot of female birth control options, and most of them use hormones

  • to prevent an egg from being around in the first place.

  • So what's stopping men from using some kind of hormonal birth control too?

  • Well in theory, nothing really, and male hormonal birth control has been tested before, though

  • so far none have been successful.

  • This new clinical trial is aiming giving it another shot, testing the drug on men in 7

  • countries around the world.

  • The new drug uses two hormones.

  • One is progestin, a synthetic form of the steroid/hormone progesterone that women's

  • bodies use to regulate ovulation and pregnancies.

  • The purpose of the progestin in the experimental new male birth control is to lower sperm count.

  • But to prevent the progestin from negatively impacting the men's sex drive or causing

  • other changes like increased acne or weight gain, the second hormone present is testosterone.

  • That may sound counterproductive since testosterone plays a role in sperm production, but actually

  • when a man's body gets testosterone from an outside source, the testes stop producing

  • it and sperm count drops as well.

  • Perhaps best of all is the form this birth control comes in.

  • It's a gel that's intended to be rubbed on the arms and shoulders, so guys there's

  • no excuse not to use it because it doesn't feel good.

  • Heck you play your cards right and you can literally get a massage out of it.

  • A rub-on gel is a lot kinder of a delivery system than say a pill, or a vaginal ring,

  • or an IUD, or an implant, or a shot, or basically any method women currently have for hormonal

  • birth control.

  • But it's not something that a man can slap on, give himself a quick rub, and get right

  • to the business of no-baby-making.

  • Men make 1,000 sperm a second, they are just churning out DNA bullets all the time.

  • To be sure all those little meiosis tadpoles are culled to safe levels, the trial is having

  • men rely on other contraceptives while they apply the gel daily for almost 20 weeks.

  • After sperm counts drop to sufficient levels, the men will use the gel exclusively for a

  • year.

  • Fingers crossed they don't accidentally have children to whom they'll one day have

  • to explain they were the result of a science experiment gone wrong.

  • Once a year has passed they'll stop using the gel and researchers will track them for

  • six months to make sure there are no long term side effects.

  • The trial should wrap up by 2022, and if all goes well it will be readyfor more testing.

  • More studies involving thousands of men will be necessary before regulators like the U.S.

  • Food and Drug Administration give it the all clear, so it's not hitting shelves anytime

  • soon.

  • Another birth control option for men is a good thing, choice always is unless you're

  • Chidi from The Good Place.

  • But what does this mean for women?

  • All the birth control options I mentioned for them are much more invasive than a rub

  • on gel, and each has their own drawbacks, like side effects from changes in hormone

  • levels, scarring from implants, or pain when an IUD falls out of place.

  • If this trial goes well could they have a gel too?

  • As it happens the same company developing this gel is working on a progestin and estradiol

  • gel for women.

  • So a more convenient birth control could be on the horizon for women too.

  • Or this gel could eliminate the need for female birth control all together.

  • Maybe if the man in the relationship uses this gel for birth control, then his partner

  • can stop taking birth control all together if she so chooses.

  • Whatever happens, just stay safe out there.

  • Would y'all use this?

  • I know I wouldif there was a need.

  • I have a condom at home in a glass case that saysbreak glass in case of miracle.”

  • For more sexy science, check out this playlist, and I'll see you next time on Seeker.

Let's talk about sex.

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