A group of curious people, at an event dedicated to reproductive rights, gather around Maxime Labrie in Paris as he shows off colorful silicone rings.
What seems fun at first glance actually has a deeper purpose. Labria, medical technician, he set out to revolutionize the field of men contraception.
There are more than two billion men in the reproductive period on the planet. Every other pregnancy is unplanned. The burden often falls on women, while men have few options for controlling their fertility, writes DW.
More and more men are showing an interest in taking control. Global studies, supported by organizations such as the Gates Foundation or the United Nations, reveal a growing interest in new male contraceptives.
What products are available?
In addition to condoms and vasectomy - a surgical intervention that involves ligation of the vas deferens, so that spermatozoa from the testicles do not reach the seminal fluid, which makes conception impossible - scientists are working on more than a hundred innovative products, according to data from the Male Contraception Initiative (MCI).
Some methods prevent the development of spermatozoa. Others focus on preventing sperm from moving so they can't reach an egg, and certain techniques can prevent sperm from fertilizing an egg.
So far, attempts to develop new methods of male contraception have repeatedly failed.
Hormonal products are currently on an upward trajectory. NES/T gel, which is applied to the shoulder, is the most advanced in clinical trials to date and is leading the race.
Also among the most promising products is a gel from the company Contraline, which blocks the tube that carries sperm, as well as a non-hormonal daily pill from the company YourChoice. They are currently being tested on humans, but will not be available on the market for another five to ten years.
A new approach: Thermal contraception
A few products, which are already available, use a special approach - heat.
"You don't have to wait." You can practice thermal male contraception right now," says Labrie, who invented silicone rings out of personal frustration.
After he fell in love with a French woman, she told him to take responsibility for preventing conception. Therefore, together with his parents, he developed a prototype of the Andro-Switch ring in their garage.
The principle seems very simple. Sperm production is sensitive to temperature. Since the ring raises the testicles closer to the body, it allows them to absorb natural body heat. Increasing the temperature by a few degrees can cause temporary infertility.
Similar products are appearing on the market. This is how thermal underwear with a heater is sold in France. The testicles are surrounded by a layer that releases heat, which interferes with sperm production.
How do you know if it works?
A key way to monitor fertility is a seminogram (sperm analysis), which assesses sperm quality.
To facilitate that process, Rolf Tobisch, a German researcher at the Technical University of Mittelhessen, has developed a home seminogram — a device that allows users to test their fertility in the comfort of their own home.
However, placing this product on the market is a challenge for Tobiš. Medical certification is time-consuming and expensive, and big pharmaceutical companies are reluctant to invest.
In addition, he developed a thermal contraceptive device, which heats the testicles for just ten minutes a month, claiming that it can temporarily render men infertile. Despite the idea having potential, Tobish faces problems in securing enough money to finance it.
The problem is with the medical certification
"Many times I thought about giving up," Tobisch told DW, convinced that his invention was working.
Investors typically expect a return on investment within a year, but medical certification can take several years, requiring extensive laboratory research, clinical trials and approval from health authorities.
As a last resort, many inventors label their products differently — as sex or wellness toys.
Thus, thermal underwear is sold as comfortable clothing, and Labrie's silicone rings are sold as "decorative objects directly from Uranus" on thorem.com.
Human testing must assess whether each product is safe. But decades of research have shown that this may be the case.
For example, three different studies tested whether increasing testicular temperature by 1-2 degrees, for at least 15 hours a day, affected sperm production. Couples relied on thermal contraception as the only form of birth control. No pregnancy occurred during a combined 500 menstrual cycles.
Are big pharmaceutical companies holding back products?
There is a running joke in the pharmaceutical industry that male contraception is ten years behind the last fifty years.
According to Logan Nickels, MCI's principal investigator, bringing the product to market requires the support of major pharmaceutical companies. But instead of leading, pharmaceutical giants leave it to innovators (startups) to take the risk.
The last major effort took place more than a decade ago. German pharmaceutical giant Bayer tested the male contraceptive on humans and found it to be "effective and with tolerable side effects."
Despite this success, Bayer discontinued all research into male fertility control. In a statement to DW, Bayer explained that they doubted the product would be commercially successful.
Abvi and Pfizer say they are not in the male contraceptive business and have not commented on investment plans.
Other companies contacted by DW — such as Johnson & Johnson or Teva — did not respond to a request for comment.
"Men are not the problem, but entrenched systems that resist technological and social progress," says Franca Fry.
A German journalist and author has written a book explaining that male-dominated research and the profit-driven health industry are failing to address the need for gender-equal birth control.
What's next for the contraceptive market?
The growing global interest of men indicates that change is on the horizon. However, it's not just about availability, it's also about acceptance.
"It only takes one product to pave the way," says MCI's Nickels, noting the potential domino effect.
In the global market for contraceptives, which is predicted to reach 40 billion euros by 2030, several countries are investing in this future. Funding mainly comes from non-profit organizations and academic institutions, especially in the United States, but also in India, Brazil and Australia.
At a recent contraceptive rights event in Paris, participants were optimistic about the issue and the future – male contraception is a form of empowerment.
It's not just about sexual or financial freedom — it's about empowering billions of people to shape their own lives and plan their families.
