As in most couples, with Johanna and Alexander, it was she who took charge of contraception. Then these young Swedes became parents of two children. When the question of contraception arose again, their country was participating in a clinical trial which they immediately perceived as an opportunity. Alexander volunteered, like 200 of his fellow citizens, to test a contraceptive gel for men for just over a year.
To be applied daily to the shoulders and back, this gel diffuses hormones (testosterone and a progestogen) which slow down the production of spermatozoa. Less restrictive than injections, this gel has the advantage of inducing relatively few side effects. Alexander, for his part, only noted an increased sensitivity, as well as a slight increase in his libido at the start of the study.
It will be necessary to wait several years before a possible commercialization
Within the couple, this novelty also appears as a means of sharing the contraceptive load… and the subjects of discussion. “When our friends found out he was the one taking care of it now, says Johanna, we realized that it’s usually just a woman’s thing to talk about her difficulties in finding the right contraceptive method. And suddenly, Alex could join the conversation.” “I felt the same with my girlfriend, abounds the journalist (who, him, tested a contraceptive treatment by injections of testosterone). When I started telling her about my side effects, she was like, ‘Here you go! Now you understand.”
Alexander says he is satisfied, and wishes to continue using this product… when it is marketed. “That would definitely be an option for us,” approves his companion, showing the scars that subcutaneous implants have left on the inside of his arms. However, they will have to wait a bit… The study is giving encouraging results, but the marketing of this gel will not take place for several years: at least five years, or even seven, according to the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, where Alexander and Johanna were followed along with the other volunteer couples.
Excerpt from “Contraception: men too”, a report to see in “Special Envoy” on October 6, 2022.
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