To avoid the use of hormonal contraception in women, which can cause bloating, nausea or irregular bleeding, researchers from the University of North Carolina are currently working on a new technology to avoid pregnancy, according to the journal “Science Translational Medicine”.

“Many women avoid hormonal contraception because of real and perceived side effects,” noted Samuel Lai, a professor at the university’s Eshelman School of Pharmacy.

The idea was inspired by cases of immune infertility, an autoimmune disease that causes women to produce antibodies against sperm in the female reproductive system, preventing them from reaching the egg.

The researchers took antibodies from a woman with this condition and modified them to improve an effect called “agglutination”. They then proceeded to a test phase on sheep.

Administered directly into the vagina, this contraceptive had a success rate of 99.9%.

The results were also promising in that long-term fertility was not affected. Unlike with the pill, the effects of which can last up to several months, this solution could allow a woman wishing to have a child to regain fertility right after ceasing treatment.

Even though the prospects look optimistic, the animal-testing phase is not yet complete, meaning it will be some time before this new method of birth control hits the market.