Testing the first male contraceptive gel

“One day I was talking to a friend who told me that he was participating in a study to test a new contraceptive method for men. It was a freeze. This is where I wanted to participate, I found the idea of ​​taking control of contraception in the relationship very interesting, of having the opportunity to be the one who takes care of yourself. Additionally, I liked the idea of ​​having the opportunity to participate in such important scientific advancements. I contacted a nurse and in August 2022 I started the process.

I’m 27 and my partner and I have been together for four and a half years. One of the requirements for participating in this research was having a stable partner who would last for the duration of the study. They also tested me for blood and drugs.

For a year, I applied contraceptive gel to my shoulders every day. It didn’t take me more than a minute to apply. At first every two weeks, then once a month, I had a spermogram to see how everything was going. After I had been using the gel for about three months, they made my partner stop taking contraceptives to test the effectiveness of the new product.

I was particularly excited about this gel, I found it to be a very interesting product. Were we afraid of getting pregnant when she stopped taking birth control? Yes, and I’m tired of it. But we also trusted the team behind it. Everyone has always been very transparent in transferring information, so when they told us we could stop using contraceptives and condoms, we trusted. My partner had participated in studies like this before and we were sure they were serious studies.

Throughout the investigation, I have had weekly contact with a nurse who monitors how I am feeling, if I have missed doses or things like that. They keep all records of application times and observations such as taking medications. In my case, everything was still in order.

My phase two is over and I am now in the sperm recovery phase. I finished about a month and a half ago. Now they measure whether my sperm work like before and how quickly they worked again. So far everything has gone well. I never had any problems or side effects, and neither did my friend.

In this phase, and throughout the duration of the study, it is necessary to return to traditional contraceptive methods. If I had the option to continue using the gel, I would continue to do so. It’s super comfortable, it doesn’t smell, it’s not sticky, it had no side effects on me, nothing.

My partner and I talked about it. If this was commercialized, we would use it. Female birth control pills may be cheaper than condoms, but they have an impact on women’s health, and nothing has ever happened to me with the gel. We would use this new product because for me it has no effect, whereas for her, using contraceptives does.

My girlfriend was happy without taking birth control pills. She started very young, so she didn’t know a lot of hormonal things about her body. Giving up the pills was a rediscovery, and that’s why we were very happy to be part of this study. I was happy that she was feeling well. Today we only use condoms, because after realizing everything that happened to his body when he took contraceptives, he doesn’t want to take them again. It’s about taking a box and seeing how many contraindications it has, while the gel has practically nothing.

Being parents is totally out of the question for us in the short term. We chose to try this new contraceptive method because of its symptoms and because we wanted to contribute to scientific development, but the possibility of a vasectomy is also on the table. I don’t know if in 15 years we will want to have children, but today we are clear that we don’t want them. Although we’re not entirely clear, this contraceptive method for men may work much better.

I find it incredible that these kinds of tests are carried out in Chile. When I talk about it with my friends and relatives, they seem very interested, but that’s it. They don’t want to try them. I wish more people would dare to participate in this type of study, because there cannot be a broader option when it comes to contraceptives if we do not make the decision to try them.

In an unprecedented way, Chile – through the SG Fertility clinic – is part of this international study which is testing this contraceptive method for the first time in humans and not in mice. The research, sponsored by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and Population Council, studies people from some countries in Europe, Africa and, Latin America, the only country that is one of them is Chile.

Led by the urologist and andrologist José Ignacio Vinay, who is the principal investigator, accompanied by a large team of nurses who ensure coordination and operations led by Alejandra Díaz, men between 18 and 50 years old participate in the study .

Currently, the research is in its second phase, as some participants are still in the recovery phase. During this period, a group of men applied the gel for a specified period of time while undergoing spermiogram examinations to verify that the sperm concentration dropped from the minimum normal value of 16 million/ml to zero. The requirement was that participants had an active sex life.

The gel is a topical medication that contains hormones and, as defined by the study team, the application should be daily, if possible at the same time and in the arms and shoulders, since these are areas of least contact.

Although Dr Vinay – principal investigator and head of research at SG Fertility – explains that it is not yet clear when the third phase of the study will begin, he stresses that it should be next year. In this way, and if everything goes as planned, the first male contraceptive could be marketed in the near future.”