Originality: Men 's oral contraceptive gel is applied to the skin

Women now have many options when it comes to contraception: taking a once-a-day pill or an emergency pill, placing an IUD containing hormones or copper rings, and even a contraceptive patch for women.

But for men, the only option is still condoms, giving only about 85% efficiency.

Previously, scientists tried to create a kind. However, it can cause a serious side effect, described as being different "" when lowering their testosterone levels.

But starting this summer, a new pregnancy test for men will be conducted in 6 countries.The drug is prepared in a special form, to be absorbed through the skin rather than by the oral route. It will look like a massage oil.

'They just squeeze the medicine out, rub it in their palms and then squeeze the medicine on their shoulders,' said Dr. Stephanie Page, male reproductive researcher at the University of Washington.

This new contraceptive contains a mixture of testosterone and progestin steroids. A man needs to use an amount of medicine the size of a coin every day.Rub it on your palms and squeeze it on your skin.

With this contraceptive, rub it on your palms and squeeze it on your skin.

The steroids here are lypophyllic, meaning they are easily absorbed into the skin.'There are about 9 to 14% of steroids in the gel will be absorbed into the body,' the researchers wrote on ClinicalTrials.gov.

This massage gel works as a hormone therapy. Normally, after about 8 to 12 weeks of use, it will reduce the number of male sperm down to the point that you cannot have children. At the same time, testosterone that men receive from daily gel is still enough to fulfill its sex hormonal tasks.

In parallel with the progestin (Nestorone) in the gel, testosterone also prevents men from producing mature sperm, by disrupting normal hormone production in the testicles.

In a small 6-month trial, Dr. Page reported that about 90% of men using massage gel had low enough sperm concentration to prevent pregnancy.

In the upcoming study, the number of male sperm will be monitored before they start using gel as an independent contraceptive. This means that couples will continue to use traditional male contraceptive methods, until when the man's sperm count is confirmed to be low, just start relying entirely on contraceptives.

Birth control gel is not used for massage

No, it's not a good idea!

Now, it is a good idea that men can ask their partners to massage their bodies with testosterone gel every day. But Dr. Page said, "No, no, no, no, no! It is not a good idea."

Because testosterone can be absorbed into the skin of anyone, women and children should not touch this type of contraceptive gel for men. Even men together, they should not touch the skin of the person who uses it at least 4 hours after applying.

People who use this form of birth control gel should also wash their hands carefully after taking a daily dose. Dr. Page said strong or long handshakes could deliver a small amount of medicine to others, but it was not enough to cause a dangerous effect on them.

Leaving aside these risks, there are obvious benefits to using gel contraceptives. With oral medicines, compounds will have to pass through the liver. It may affect cholesterol levels or cause liver damage, which has been a problem in previous contraceptive tests for men.

Dr. Page said the oral contraceptive gel has very few side effects and they are very light. In short-term trials, testosterone gel can cause mild to moderate acne, affecting about 20% of users. Some people complain of headaches, and some cases of insomnia are reported.

It takes an extra time to know if it can cause serious complications. However, the results until now are promising.

Women seem to have to bear more responsibility in contraception than men.

Since oral contraceptives for women were first introduced in the 1960s, it proved to be quite effective. However, in order to change the delay of reproduction, women who take birth control pills will face many side effects.

Depending on the drug with different formulations, it may cause women to gain weight, cramps, psychological disorders, reduce sexual desire. Even some birth control pills may increase your risk of developing breast cancer and cervical cancer, increasing your risk of depression and high blood pressure.

The goal of developing birth control pills for men is to share their responsibilities and obligations with women."A lot of women can't use contraception, and men want to share that burden with them," Dr. Page said.

Currently, scientists are recruiting about 400 volunteers to participate in testing this topical contraceptive. If the test is successful, it will be replicated, before applying for approval by the US Food and Drug Administration.