Contraceptive gel for men is being tested in the USA (3 photos)
If the drug successfully passes all tests, then the world's first means of male contraception will appear. It will work on the same principle as pills for women. 
“Developing a safe, highly effective, and reliably reversible method of contraception for men is an unmet need,” senior study author Dr. Diana Blyth, director of the contraceptive development program at the National Institutes of Health, said in a press release.
According to scientists, this hormonal contraceptive gel will block sperm production, and Americans will no longer need to sterilize themselves.
The phase 2 study involved 222 men, ages 18 to 50, who each applied about a teaspoon of the hormone gel to each upper arm daily. Why the shoulder is and how it is related to sperm production is not specified. 
In the study, 86% of men experienced sperm suppression after an average of eight weeks, which was faster than the researchers expected. Despite the positive effects, it is the slow onset of suppression that has become a major problem for scientists. They are now working hard on this, testing the introduction of the synthetic hormone nesterone, which is used in female contraception, into the gel.
It should act faster and not cause side effects. Currently, the gel causes acne on the backs of test subjects and increases weight. 
Researchers are now studying how well the gel protects against pregnancy. The study will continue for another year.
“We've been pushing for hormonal male contraceptives for 50 years, but we don't have enough money to actually get anything through very large phase 3 trials,” Dr. Daniel Johnston, head of the National Institute of Child and Human Health.
