Birth control option for men may be closer to reality [Video]

After decades of false starts, researchers say they are finally making progress on a long-acting and reversible birth control option for men.Related video above: Doctor discusses first over-the-counter birth control pillThe experimental product is a hormonal gel that men rub on their shoulders once daily. Over time, it blocks the production of sperm in the testes.The gel was developed by the National Institutes of Health and the nonprofit Population Council, and it takes much the same approach as birth control pills for women. It uses two hormones: nestorone, a progestin, and testosterone, the male sex hormone. The nestorone suppresses the production of testosterone in the testes and, with it, the development of sperm.But testosterone serves many functions in the body: It is responsible for muscle maintenance and libido, for example, and men need some in their circulation to function normally. The gel replaces enough to keep them healthy but not …