A new kind of contraception in a form of vaccine that is designed to use the immune system for blocking fertilization is now in clinical trials. Unlike hormonal forms of birth control which disrupts the menstrual cycle, this contraceptive technology prevents pregnancy in a “less invasive and more convenient way”.
According to its developer, Professor Gursaran Pran Talwar, former director of India’s National Institute of Immunology, this vaccine contraception is “cheaper, easy to use, long-acting, more convenient, reversible, and less invasive” compared to pills and intrauterine device which is sometimes very dangerous as they have side effects which includes blood clots, mood alterations, and weight gain.
This new vaccine technology was initially developed and patented during the early 1990’s and was meant to neutralize the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) hormone or the so-called pregnancy hormone. This injectable contraception was, as originally conceptualized by its developer, meant to be effective for two years and after two years, it will need a booster.
According also to Talwar, the difference between this birth control technology and common contraceptives, which are usually packaged in different forms such as patches, implants, and pills that work by “flooding the body with hormones to put a pause on ovulation”, is that this vaccine contraception leaves the menstrual cycle unchanged, using the powers of the immune system to prevent pregnancy. As stated in the report:
“Talwar’s invention is now in early-stage clinical trials. If all goes well, it could become humanity’s first contraceptive vaccine—one that would prevent pregnancies in a way distinct from any birth control ever cleared for human use.”
As observed in its clinical trials, most women who receive the contraceptive vaccine shot could produce antibodies that are enough to prevent them from getting pregnant for several months or within a year. As reported in The Atlantic article:
“Of the 119 women in the trial whose antibody levels reached what Talwar deems a protective threshold, only one became pregnant over a period of almost two years. Several participants also went on to conceive after opting out of boosters, a sign that the shot’s effects were reversible.”
Meanwhile, in another article from The Defender, the chief scientific officer for Children’s Health Defense (CHD), Brian Hooker PhD, expressed skepticism and commented about this new technology, claiming that there are so many red flags to consider. In his recent interview, Hooker stated:
“The big question that comes to mind is ‘reversibility.’ It is very difficult to turn off an immune response complete with memory B-cells after it has been turned on. My fear is that many would be left permanently sterile from this type of vaccine. Also, the problems posed by this technology related to autoimmunity are myriad.
Essentially, by coaxing the body to attack human proteins, you also put human tissues, including primarily vital reproductive organs, in the line of fire for many harsh inflammatory processes associated with an immune response.”
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