Birth Control Shot for Guys May Be Here by 2017

There may be another birth control option headed our way, and the guys will get to take the lead on this one. The Parsemus Foundation has tested an injectable, non-hormonal polymer contraceptive on male baboons that appears to successfully prevent pregnancy in females, Medical Daily reports. The procedure, which requires just one Vasalgel injection for long-lasting effects, also seems to be reversible and is hopefully headed into human trials next year, with a possible market date of 2017.

The Daily Beast explains the process: Instead of snipping the vas deferens as a vasectomy does, the contraceptive is shot directly into the reproductive tube; the polymer then keeps sperm from entering. To reverse it, another injection can flush out the polymer. The method could prove useful to "a 20-something or 30-something man out on the dating market," according to a post in the New York Times by a foundation official. But it won’t likely be embraced by pharmaceutical companies, which bank on women taking "the pill" long-term, notes Medical Daily. At least one Jezebel commenter isn't optimistic about Vasalgel's appeal: "Something tells me that dudes will not be too keen on the injection aspect of this." (A future birth-control chip for women could last 16 years.)