World-first male contraceptive trial underway in Melbourne
A world-first trial of a male contraceptive injection, which acts like a 'temporary vasectomy', is being undertaken with 25 men in Melbourne.
The ADAM study, which is being run at Epworth Freemasons in East Melbourne, involves hydrogel being injected into men's vas deferens (tubes that carry sperm) to block their sperm from leaving their testes.
The hydrogel is expected to dissolve after approximately two years, when the men will then undergo the procedure again.
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The injection is designed to block sperm from leaving the testes. Getty Images/Science Photo Libra
Four of the 25 men involved in the trial have already been injected with the hydrogel.
Urologist Professor Nathan Lawrentschuk, who is leading the study, has said it will run for three years, after having previously been carried out on animals.
"If it is successful, it could be a game-changer, ensuring that contraception is a shared responsibility between couples," he said.
The men involved in the study will undergo regular health checks and provide semen samples throughout the study.
Professor Lawrentschuk has told 3AW the researchers had hundreds of people respond to their callout on social media for trial participants.
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Four of the men in the trial have undergone the procedure so far. Supplied
"We had too many to take care of," he said.
The professor said no trials designed to physical block sperm travel had been undertaken before.
Back in 2016, scientists in Sydney trialed men undergoing hormone injections as a form of contraceptive.
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