Men
in Control
mholliday-jour325.blogspot.com
mholliday-jour325.blogspot.com
When the topic of birth control
comes into conversation, females are usually the ones that come to mind. Women
have a multitude of birth control options including the pill, a patch, lube, a
shot, and even irreversible surgery. Men really only have two options for birth
control; condoms or getting rid of the “family jewels”. If only there was a
birth control option that was easy, lasted a long time, did not have any
negative health effects and was 100% effective. This would theoretically take
the headache away from the concept of contraception. The good thing is, this
form of birth control actually exists.
The drug is called RISUG (reversible
inhibition of sperm under guidance). It was developed in India and takes about
15 minutes to perform the “procedure” and lasts around 10 years without needing
to renew it. According to Jon Clinkenbeard, a blogger/journalist at
Techcitement.com explained, “A
doctor applies some local anesthetic, makes a small pinhole in the base of the
scrotum, reaches in with a pair of very thin forceps, and pulls out the small
white vas deferens tube. Then, the doctor injects the polymer gel, … pushes the
vas deferens back inside, repeats the process for the other vas deferens, puts
a Band-Aid over the small hole, and the man is on his way.” The procedure is
quick, reliable and virtually painless.
It
works by injecting a polymer gel, called Vaselgel in the U.S, which is mainly
made from two “common chemicals”, says Clinkenbeard. The gel proceeds to stick
to the walls of the vas deferens (the tube inside a male’s testicles that sperm
travels through) and thickens within the next three days. It does not block the
sperm from traveling down the scrotum; the gel basically shocks the sperm to
death by canceling out the sperm’s negative charge with the polymer’s positive
charge, as paraphrased from Ruben Roel, a blogger and journalist for
Technorati.com. This does not change the feeling during a male’s orgasm. Can it
get any better? Apparently it can. Clinkenbeard states that a potential side benefit
of RISUG is the possibility of curing HIV, but studies so far are inconclusive.
This
procedure is in its third stage of the trial process, the last stage before
being approved for unmonitored use. Sujoy K. Guha is a professor of biomedical
engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology and the inventor of RISUG.
According to the Male Contraception Information Project, Guha started research
in 1991 and referred to the procedure as an “NSV” (no-scalpel vasectomy). MCIP’s
websites assures men that having a RISUG injection is less painful initially,
effective quicker, has less recovery time and does not leave the patient with
long term back pain compared to a traditional vasectomy. “RISUG has been safe
and effective in 25 years of animal and human trials.” This injection was first
successfully studied in rats, monkeys and rabbits before given to human
volunteers in India beginning in 1997. Studies have not been conducted outside
of India or on any race other than Indian.
Researchers
say that the only problems they have encountered are not related to the actual
drug. One issue has been the way it was administered; the design of the syringe
was troubling but the problems have reportedly been solved and technicians have
been re-trained. The other reported problem was how a few patients failed to
correctly follow the directions that advise against having unprotected sex for
the first ten days after the drug was administered (since the drug did not have
enough time to adhere correctly).
While
reports on this new underground drug state that studies are constantly positive
and the effectiveness goes without comparison, pharmaceutical companies in the
U.S. apparently show no interest in selling RISUG to their patients. The main
reason stated, by both Roel and Clinkenbeard, is the lack of revenue that it
would make. Since this drug is cheap (the medicine cost less than the syringe
used to inject it) and lasts for such a long time, these companies would rather
make money by selling Male Hormonal Birth Control which is a pill for men that
they take every day; just like women.
When
RISUG was described in detail (including all known pros and cons) during an
interview discussion with six various college students, mixed feelings were
expressed about which methods are actually more appealing; the Vaselgel shot
for men or any of the various established contraceptives for women. The opinions
interviewees gave were evenly divided. Two out of four males think it is a good
idea and said they could see themselves considering it if the option became
available and both females thought it sounded like a safer alternative, but
only one favored it over female contraception. The students’ conflicts of
opinions sparked the following debate:
Abel
Jose, a first year biomedical engineering major, first took a lighter approach
to the topic. When RISUG was described to him, he jokingly asked, “You want me
to hook you guys up?” This statement was based Jose’s Indian descent and that
only Indians can receive/have received this procedure so far. He then explained, “I think it’s a good idea.
First off, you don’t have to worry about a condom [or taking a pill] every day.
With pills, if you miss one day you’re basically screwed and you have to start
[the process] all over.”
“Women’s
birth control is just so much easier,” argued Josh Jones, a second year
Criminal Justice student. “[Women] just get a pill which already lowers the
chance of them getting pregnant and it also helps regulate [their] woman
problems (aka, their menstrual cycle).”
Lauren Sedeyn, a first year biomedical
engineering major, refuted Jones’ opinion. “Some women are allergic to birth
control and can’t take it.” She described how most of the women in her family
are allergic to the chemicals in birth control pills and therefore cannot take
them. When this procedure was compared to tubal ligation (getting one’s tubes
tied), Lauren argued, “[RISUG] isn’t invasive. [Women] have to go into surgery
and [men] don’t.”
Sean
Warden, a first year civil engineering major, interjected by saying, “Birth
control has more benefits for women (other than childbirth) that this shot
doesn’t have for men. If [researchers] could find a way to add those benefits
for men then that would change [my opinion] a little bit.” The “benefit(s)” he
believes should be added to Vaselgel include the reduction of acne and
regulation of hormone/testosterone levels.
In
agreement with Sedeyn’s opinion, Jose then said, “I wouldn’t want to keep
getting shots. I’d rather just [inject] my [testes] and be done with it.”
Jones
again expressed his lack of appeal to the process by adding, “I’m sorry that I
don’t want to get my [testicles] stuck with a needle, no matter how numb I am.”
Jones
then posed the question, “What if a guy is allergic to [the chemicals in
Vaselgel]?” He explained his disbelief in the effectiveness and lack of side
effects. “It just sounds too good to be true. There has got to be some reason
it isn’t used in the United States yet other than the [lack of monetary profit
to pharmaceutical companies].” Jones then reminded everyone that RISUG has so
far only been tested in India, on Indians, and considered that it might have
different effects and results for different races.
“There
are not really that many genetic differences between [races],” assured Jose. “Also,
the medical system in the U.S. is stricter. They don’t take risky procedures.
People go get medical stuff done overseas all the time because they’re better
in other places and people are looking to save money. Yeah, it’s risky and it
may have its side effects but in the long run it could rationally be better for
you.”
Marissa
Hollabaugh, a first year exercise science major thinks contraception is more of
a priority for females than for males. “It’s more responsible for a guy [to do
this procedure], but I really think it’s a girl’s responsibility. But, I think
it would be good for a guy to take [the shot] if a girl can’t (be on the pill).”
She then added, “… for healthy girls it’d be safer if they didn’t want to have
children too; just in case.”
Warden
then echoed Jones and Hollabaugh’s favoritism for female contraception by
saying, “I’d rather have my [partner] take a pill that is painless rather than
me getting two shots in the [testicles]” He then asked if the pill was covered
by health insurance. When he was informed that females have to pay out of
pocket, he added (regarding the low cost of RISUG), “If [the pill] was just
covered by health insurance than it’ll (also) be [cheap] along with it being
painless,” and decided that his official opinion is to have the pill covered by
health insurance.
“Guys should do it,” said Ryan Meier, a first
year chemical engineering major. “It’s (theoretically) a onetime thing and you
don’t have to worry about your girl taking birth control. Shoot, I’d get it
done.” After a pause he added, “Well… maybe not. I don’t know. It’s a good idea
though.”
Jones
ended the discussion by explaining, “I’m not completely against it. I would
just have to wait for a lot more certainty before I consider it over all the
other options there are now.” This statement caused a concluding agreement
among all interviewees.
This
drug in fact does sound like a dream come true to those who worry about which
birth control to chose and whether or not it is going to be enough to prevent
pregnancy, but there is an unmentioned potential issue that could grow out of
this drug being approved. Should sexually active men who get this procedure
done be worried about a higher risk of catching/spreading an STD? The
interviewees were asked if this is something important enough to worry about. All
six students agreed that it was a potential issue but many stated that people
would not worry about it anymore that they do now.
Hollabaugh
said she expects people would become more reckless while having sex. She
replied via text message saying, “[People] wouldn’t have to take as much
precaution because their risk of getting pregnant would already be lowered.”
Abel
expressed his concerns for what would happen if college students would/could
get the shot. “Guys already don’t care much (about protection) but guys that
don’t have to worry at all will just sleep around with any girl and they won’t
care; especially if they’re in college.”
Warden
mentioned the uncertain protection that condoms had. “… Condoms don’t
necessarily protect from STDs either. There’s a higher risk (with RISUG) but
there’s still a risk either way. The main reason people even wear a condom is
to prevent having a kid. (Also,) it’s the exact same risk as a girl being on
birth control and not wearing a condom.”
Lauren
agreed then added, “It’s just like using condoms now. [They don’t] completely
protect against STDs or pregnancy and people don’t realize that because sex
education in our schools isn’t good enough; hence ‘16 and pregnant’.”
While
RISUG is still in the final phase and has not been accepted in the United
States yet, it could be important for more people to consider this as a major
source of birth control in the future. There are a few ways that people and
companies are showing their support for the further development of
Vaselgel/RISUG around the world. Roel says that a generous donation from the
Gates Foundation was given to the Parsemus Foundation which is trying to
introduce and begin development of RISUG in the United States. There is also an
online petition circling certain parts of the web for people to sign and share
to show that America has the demand that eagerly wants Vaselgel to be supplied.
