New birth control gel for men shows promise in early trials

Preliminary findings indicate the gel works faster than expected.

Now researchers have developed a gel which, when applied to a male's bare shoulders, can help reduce sperm production.

This simple gel is a hormone-based treatment that has shown promising results in clinical trials.

A hormone gel is usually applied to the shoulders because this area of the skin is suitable for transdermal delivery of medication.

The skin on the shoulders has a good balance of thickness and blood flow, making it effective for absorbing the hormones into the bloodstream.

There's minimal contact with others and the application is easy since it is a large surface area.

Researchers from the National Institutes of Health presented promising phase 2 trial results for the new hormonal gel at the Endocrine Society’s conference in Boston.

The trial, part of National Institutes of Health's Contraceptive Development Program, involved 222 men aged 18 to 50. The participants applied 5 millilitres of the gel (about a teaspoon) to their shoulder blades daily.

Preliminary findings indicate the gel works faster than expected.

The gel is yet to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.