New birth control gel may obstruct sperm without any side effects

SWEDEN: While plenty of both hormone and non-hormone-based birth control pills are available in the market, the no-hormone-based ones do not provide sufficient effectiveness against pregnancy like hormone-based pills. Researchers have now looked into the idea of a non-hormone-based gel that effectively blocks the sperm, preventing pregnancy without any side effects

Statistics show that a total of 225 million women around the world use hormonal birth control pills, due to the effectiveness. However most women would prefer to use non hormone alternatives.

A team of clinical researchers from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden is now in the process of developing a non hormonal gel that strengthens and structurally maintains the cervical barrier to help prevent pregnancy. 

Researchers claim it can lower the amount of sperm passing to the uterus by 98% 

While hormonal birth control pills use estrogen and synthetic progesterone to prevent pregnancy, non hormonal pills use physical methods to stop the sperm from being fertilised.

“Our idea is to propose a totally new mechanism of action for a contraceptive so that the user would have more pros than cons using it. This technology could potentially lead to high efficacies, similar to the pill, without its side effects,” he said.

Said Dr Thomas Crouzier senior author of this study and a biopolymers researcher in KTH Royal Institute of Technology.