posted
The study is small enough--just 55 subjects--that I don't think that their claim of 100% effectiveness will necessarily hold up, but this is still pretty interesting.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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quote:RISUG works by an injection into the vas, the vessel that serves as the exit ramp for sperm. The injection coats the vas with a clear polymer gel that has a negative and positive electric charge. Sperm cells also have a charge, so the differential charge from the gel ruptures the cell membrane as it passes through the vas, stopping the sperm in their tracks before they can even start their journey to the egg. RISUG doesn't affect the surrounding tissues because they have no charge....
It's long-lasting. According to Guha, a single injection can be effective for at least 10 years.
After testing RISUG on more than 250 volunteers, neither Guha nor other researchers in the field have found side effects more worrisome than a slight scrotal swelling in some men immediately following the injection. This swelling goes away after a few weeks. Compare that to the Pill, which even today can cause health problems ranging from severe migraines to blood clots.
It works. Of all the men who've had the RISUG injection (and 15 of the 250 had it more than 10 years ago), there has been only one unplanned pregnancy among their partners -- and in that instance, the injection wasn't administered properly.
Best of all, the contraceptive appears to be reversible with another injection. To date, reversing the procedure has been tried only on non-human primates, but among them, it's been reversed successfully multiple times....
If RISUG's current stage of clinical testing goes well, it will be on the market in India by next year. Within a few more years, if all proceeds as planned, the injection to reverse it will also be on the market....
Weiss thinks RISUG is preferable. "The only people who should be excited about the male Pill are pharmaceutical companies," he said. He believes so much money has been poured into researching the Pill because pharmaceutical companies want something consumers will have to buy again and again -- as opposed to an inexpensive, one-time injection. In the U.S., a 10-year supply of the female Pill costs about $3,600. RISUG would be dramatically less expensive, while pharmaceutical companies would have to pay $25 million to $40 million to bring it to market.
posted
I've read about that one plaid. I'd rather have that one than the other, personally. I'm going to wait until either method has been on the market for a few years before I bite though.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
Normally I'm into waiting before trying something new... but since when it comes to contraceptives my sweetie is the one who has to take the risks, I wouldn't mind taking a turn with the health risks...
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posted
I'd like to talk to some of those 55 guys' partners and see if they noticed any mood swings or performance problems before I'd recommend it to anyone....
Posts: 9538 | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
Well, condoms are always an option while you're waiting for the general public to act as a guniea pig with these new treatments (although the one you link to seems like it would be pretty safe, I'm a bit leery of the hormone meddling method I linked to).
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Don't get me wrong, they are awesome at what they do, and I think people who are not in long-term monogomous relationships should use them even if their partners are on the pill, but they still suck.
I would jump at the chance to take responcibility for birth control, especially if the method did not remove half the feeling like condoms do. I think something like this along with the female shot or pill would be like 99.9999999% effective. That said, I would much rather have it be in pill form, and its also somewhat scary to take anything which completely shuts down your testosterone production. They say no side effects occured, but I definitly would prefer more testing.
Of course by the time this gets approved by the FDA I hope to be at the point in my life where I'm having children...
Posts: 5656 | Registered: Oct 1999
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I'll sing you all a song about a wondrous new device The nation's latest contraceptive plan That funny little object they call the IUD Has recently been changed to fit a man
It's the IPD, the IPD It may not feel to good to you but it's not hurting me So every time the pain begins to fill your eyes with tears, Remember I put up with it for years!
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