Male Contraceptive Cocktails
This is not as crazy as it sounds, scientists have actually figured out a way to block the movement of sperm by studying the layers in a cocktail drink. Before we get into how this works, lets delve into a little history of birth control. For centuries, women have shouldered the responsibility of contraception. Whether they were taking pumpkin seeds or modern birth control pills, women have had the burden of protecting themselves from conceiving. However, the long-term use of female contraceptives pills increases the risk of side effects such as blood clots, or breast cancer.
The Male Contraceptive cocktails is part of the effort to share the burden of contraception with men and this remarkable breakthrough has been inspired by colorful layered cocktails. Some may argue that the male condom is an effective form of male contraception and that is true but there has never been a product that men could take internally like the female contraceptive pill. The good news is this male contraceptive is reversible, unlike a male vasectomy which is a permanent contraceptive solution.
The inspiration for this male contraceptive comes from studying cocktails such as the Galaxy that bartenders make by layering colorful liquids in a glass. If the beverage is stirred or heated, the layers will combine into a uniform liquid. Researchers then conceptualized whether they could replicate this effect by injecting layers of material to block the vas deferens which is the duct in the male body that transfers sperm from the testicles to the urethra. To unblock the vas deferens, heat would be applied which would dissolve the layers into a uniform liquid just as in the galaxy cocktail.
