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There’s been talk recently about the possibility of condomless forms of male birth control, and—according to a new study—a particular technique was found to be especially successful, meaning it could be available to men as soon as 2018.
In the study, released today, 12 male rabbits were injected with Vasalgel—a hormone-free substance that blocks sperm from leaving the vas deferens during ejaculation—and 11 were found to have sperm-free semen for an entire year. A small human study is slated to begin later in 2016, followed by a larger one in 2017. If all goes as planned, researchers believe the method is around two years away from becoming a viable, legal, surgery-free birth-control option for men—the first of its kind.
Even better, Vasalgel’s developers are confident the injection could last longer than 12 months, which is good news for any man who’s less than willing to have regular injections administered to his penis, but it can be easily reversed by a second injection that flushes the gel out and unblocks the vas deferens, allowing sperm to flow through semen again. Exciting stuff!
MORE: Why Are Millennials Ditching Hormonal Birth Control
