A new male contraceptive gel injection has been successful in monkey trials

A new type of male contraceptive that uses gel to block sperm flow has proved successful after primate trials.

The gel, called Vasalgel, is injected into the tubes sperm would swim down to create a physical barrier to stop them from reaching the penis.

After a two year trial, the contraceptive has been proven successful for monkeys. They hope testing on humans will begin in the next few years, if the company behind it gets funding.

If all goes well, this could be the first new type of male contractive to be used in decades.

Vasalgel works like a vasectomy, but researchers claim it will be easier to reverse by another injection dissolving the gel plug. This has been successfully trialled on rabbits, but is yet to be proven for primates or men.

Allan Pacey, professor of Andrology at the University of Sheffield said: “The study shows that, in adult male monkeys at least, the gel is an effective form of contraception.

“But in order for it to have a chance of replacing the traditional surgical method of vasectomy, the authors need to show that the procedure it reversible.”

This type of contraception wouldn’t protected against STD’s.

The way Vasalgel works isn’t entirely new. RISUG (reversible inhibition of sperm under genicide) is another experimental male birth control gel, currently being tested on men in India. However, unlike RISUG, Vasalgel is designed to block the swimming sperm’s path rather than to impair them.