“If successful, this will drastically change the field of contraception,” said Stellenbosch University (SU) urologist, Dr Amir Zarrabi, of a new male contraceptive that is currently showing promising results in human trials.
“It will give couples a lot of flexibility. They will have a safe and reliable form of contraception – with no hormonal effects or other side effects – that can be reversed when they want to start a family,” he said ahead of the Western Cape Sterilisation Week marked from July 23 to 27.
The new contraceptive, Vasalgel, which is currently being tested by the American Parsemus Foundation, is a type of “no-scalpel vasectomy”. Like a vasectomy, it also blocks the flow of sperm from the testicles to the penis, but instead of severing the tube that carries sperm (called the vas deferens), a gel is injected into the tube forming a barrier that blocks sperm but allows other fluids to pass through.
