Kevin Eisenfrats is developing the ‘male IUD’

Interest in male birth control has increased in the past few years, especially since the U.S. overturned Roe vs. Wade, which protected a woman’s right to have an abortion. Since then, states have tried to make abortion nearly impossible, prompting an increased look at contraceptives to allow both men and women to have more control over family planning. This conversation has led to the topic of male birth control — something doctors haven’t quite mastered until now, perhaps.

Kevin Eisenfrats is the founder of Contraline, a company that has developed a male contraceptive in the form of a non-hormonal, sperm-blocking gel that’s injected into the scrotum. Eisenfrats discussed building this company, medical testing for it, and the medical innovation he had to create to make it all possible on TechCrunch’s Found podcast.

“Believe it or not, people have actually been working on male contraceptives since the female contraceptive pill came out in 1960,” Eisenfrats told Found. “So it’s not like this is a forgotten area of research. It’s just that the science is really, really difficult.”