Contraceptive methods are very important tools to guarantee the right to sexual autonomy, in addition to helping to plan or control births.
A fairly common mistake is to consider that this responsibility falls exclusively on women, since there are also male contraceptive methods. Let’s review them.
Contraceptive or contraceptive methods are those that prevent or reduce the possibility of fertilization or pregnancy in sexual intercourse. They contribute to birth control, as well as to reduce unwanted or adolescent pregnancies.
From 1960 options for women have multiplied, currently having a dozen contraceptive methods, among which are:
- Vaginal rings.
- Condoms.
- Diaphragms.
- Intrauterine devices (IUD).
- Sterilization.
- Implants.
- Injections.
- Patches.
- Pills.
Male contraceptives
The options for men have not presented great changes. The oldest are abstinence or coitus interruptus (that is, withdrawing the penis before ejaculating, expelling the semen out of the vagina).
The latter is still one of the most practiced today, although experts say it is not effective as believed.
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This is because ejaculating near the vagina runs the risk of pregnancy. In addition, the pre-ejaculatory fluid also contains sperm capable of fertilization.
Other male contraceptive methods are:
Condom or condom
This contraceptive method is one of the most used by men and women, since it not only prevents pregnancy, it also protects against many diseases of sexual transmission, such as genital herpes, syphilis, HIV or HPV.
The effectiveness of the condom as a contraceptive method may vary depending on its correct use or its quality (they are usually made with rubber or polyurethane latex) .
How to use a condom?
You must place the condom on the head of the penis, with the ring rolled in the opposite direction. Pressing the tip, unroll it over the shaft of the penis until it reaches the base.
Using petroleum jelly, lotions or oils can weaken the condom and cause possible ruptures.
At the end of sexual intercourse, hold the condom from the base while carefully removing it and then throw it away. Remember, a condom cannot be used twice.
Vasectomy
Vasectomy is a procedure that causes sterility in men by preventing sperm from reaching the testicles.
A small incision is made in the scrotum and each vas deferens is extracted, cut and ligated to prevent sperm from being released in ejaculation. Then they go back into the scrotum.
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Although this practice is usually performed with a scalpel, a method called no-scalpel vasectomy recently approved by the American Urological Association.
It is less invasive, simpler and quicker to recover, since specific instruments are used for its execution, such as a clamp that causes the opening of the skin by separating and not cutting the fibers.
It is commonly believed that with vasectomy ejaculation is lost, which is false, since semen is produced in the seminal vesicle and not in the testicles, which is where sperm are produced.
Sperm represents only 3% of ejaculation and the other 97% is made up of several fluids from the prostate.
It is also not true that sexual desire or libido decline, or that it is a major surgery that takes a long time time.
Although it is a potentially reversible method, surgery is required for this, so it is usually recommended for those men who have already formed a family and do not seek to have more children.
Reversible inhibition of sperm under guidance
In reversible inhibition of sperm under guidance or reversible inhibition of sperm under guidance (RISUG) a polymer is used, a gel species, formed by two compounds: styrene maleic anhydride (SMA) dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO).
It is administered by an injection in the vas deferens and works by blocking and destroying the sperm by reducing the pH and creating charge disturbances.
The great advantage in relation to vasectomy is that they are more likely to be reversible, although specialists still continue to investigate its effects.
This contraceptive method was developed by the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur and patented in Bangladesh, China, USA and India under the trade name of Vasalgel .
Other contraceptives
Many surveys agree that more than half of men would be willing to use new contraceptives, preferably long-acting, reversible and non-hormonal.
In addition to those already mentioned, researchers are working on the male contraceptive pill , called dodecyl carbonate 11 – beta-methyl – 19 – nortestosterone, or 11 – beta-MNTDC.
It is a modified testosterone that combines actions of a male hormone (androgen) and a progesterone. With this, it seeks to reduce the production of sperm and their motility, temporarily affecting the fertility of men.
Another work that focuses on improving or suppressing male fertility, is that of the University from California, who studied the hyperarousal process.
This is the extra “push” or “force” that the sperm need to cross the defenses of the ovum.
As the researchers explained, sperm inhale progesterone, a hormone secreted by the ovum, which, when linked to an enzyme called ABHD2, provides the final boost the sperm needs to “finish its race”.
The evidence is preliminary, but experts believe that this finding could be used to develop a method of inactivation of these interactions, with the aim of developing a new contraceptive method.
However, both for the male contraceptive pill and for the inhibition of sperm interactions, more studies are necessary to allow us to get out of the experimentation stages and to put this knowledge into practice.
To remember:
Although contraception usually falls exclusively on women, it is also a responsibility of men .
The availability of contraceptive methods is not as wide as that available to women, highlighting the use of condoms or vasectomy.
They are also in the experimental stage male pills, as well as polymers that seek to block and destroy sperm.
To avoid unplanned pregnancies it is important to inform yourself, consult a health professional and thus find the best treatment.
Consulted sources : Library US National Medicine, Mayo Clinic , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.