Birth Control for Men: Is It About Time?

Ladies, can you imagine a world where a woman could ask a man if he’s on the pill? That reality may be closer than you think — no joke.

A gel known as RISUG (Reversible Inhibition of Sperm Under Guidance) has been developed in India and it’s currently going through rounds of mandatory clinical testing. The gel is said to be able to last between 10-15 years once inserted, according to Scientific American magazine.

How will this life-changing, long-lasting gel get the job done? It acts as a gatekeeper of sorts. A small incision is made in the scrotum and the polymer gel is injected into the vas deferens — which is usually severed during a vasectomy — and when the gel encounters a man’s sperm, it attacks it — leaving it chemically altered and useless.

Critics fear that anything that works for so long couldn’t possibly be irreversible. Researchers claim RISUG has yet to show any side effects. Two hundred-plus volunteers tested the drug, and so far, results look good. Scientist Sujoy Guha, who invented the gel, says it has “been proven to work 100 percent of the time.”

Is it about time something like this came along, or are we skeptical on this one? Ladies, would you want your man to use a gel like this? After all, women use all sorts of similar long-term methods to prevent pregnancy from occurring. Should men bear the burden for a change?