Currently in the test phase, this innovative female contraception with no side effects would take the form of a gel.
Contraception can take many forms, especially for women. For example, they can have an implant placed or use an IUD. However, the method of contraception the most widespread remains the pill. However, its use is not without consequences on the female body.
Indeed, the pills contain a variable quantity of hormones according to the generation of the pill. And these hormones can influence in different ways : weight gain, water retention, increased chest circumference, headaches, mood swings… Moreover, whether for medical or other reasons, some women simply cannot take the pill.
Solutions are therefore being developed around the world to create the female contraception of tomorrow. And a Swedish team from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology is working on a promising alternative. Researchers have developed a contraceptive gel that does not contain hormones. The first pre-clinical trials have moreover is the subject of a recently published study.
A gel that thickens the natural barrier of the uterus
Unlike other forms of contraception, this gel acts as a thickener. More specifically, it acts on a substance naturally present in the uterus called cervical mucus. However, this mucus naturally blocks access to the vagina and fallopian tubes.
Normally, this secretion appears in each woman according to her menstrual cycle. But with the gel rich in chitosan (a substance present in the shells of certain animals), the secretion creates an effect similar to a period without the disadvantages. If a woman wishes to have sexual intercourse, she can therefore deposit a little gel in her uterus and thus block the access of spermatozoids.
For the time being, the gel has only been tested on animals and more specifically on sheep. But the researchers are confident. They currently have an efficiency rate of 98%.
When will this new female contraception be marketed?
Researchers are still in pre-clinical testing. It will therefore take even more months or even several years of tests and validations before this contraceptive gel is authorized. In addition, its operation is a bit atypical.
Indeed, this gel will take more the form of a syringe to be used a few hours before intercourse. Its effectiveness will also last for several hours before fading completely through the renewal of the cervical mucus.
