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I am from India and there is no availability of vegan condom. I am a hardcore practitioner of sustainable living and don't wanted to create waste with single-use condom which is definitely resulting in some environmental issues. Getting a solution, I shall definitely spread the word in public.

Is there any alternative? I cannot find any solution.

Highly Irregular
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PD Pro
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  • See also [Vegetarianism.SE] (and veganism) SE. – gerrit Jul 06 '17 at 11:01
  • Are you specifically looking for a barrier method? If so the options appear to be rare and expensive. Natural Family Planning (NFP) is the obvious answer but it's difficult for some people. A vasectomy is the other obvious answer, but you need to be quite commited to a low-impact lifestyle for that (I am, I did, it's great) – Móż May 20 '21 at 05:11
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    @Móż a vasectomy won't work for someone who still wants to have kids at some point down the road, but isn't ready yet, right? Then again, those 100% committed to sustainable living shouldn't consider children at all, due to their environmental impact :) – WhatHiFi Sep 04 '21 at 14:25
  • @WhatHiFi I was asking what the requirements are other than "like a condom, but ecofriendly", the OP doesn't actually even mention that they're for contraception. – Móż Sep 09 '21 at 04:40

2 Answers2

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There is something called Reversible inhibition of sperm under guidance (RISUG, see Wikipedia page for more details) which is alternative to a condom which is 100% eco friendly.

In short, it a one time operation that "sterilize" the sperm, making it uncapable of reaching the egg or impregnating it.

Sadly, it's available only in India at this point, and not yet approved in other places, though approval process is undergoing, slowly.

Shadow Wizard Love Zelda
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  • Welcome to Sustainable Living SE! Interesting option, at first I thought it looked similar to a vasectomy so it would be very difficult to undo, but then I read that "The contraceptive action appears to be completely reversible ...". – THelper May 18 '21 at 14:56
  • @THelper indeed, same here. If it wasn't undoable, I wouldn't have posted it, as it's hardly a condom alternative. :-) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda May 18 '21 at 15:38
  • Hope it reaches general public faster! – PD Pro May 19 '21 at 17:21
  • @PDPro not 100% sure, but it might already be available in India, worth asking your doctor about it. – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda May 20 '21 at 06:01
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    The RISUG technology is known as Vasalgel in the West, and has been under some long-term studies for a while. Also, it doesn't so much 'sterilize' the sperm as shred them, IIRC. And yes, at least according to studies done on animals, it was completely reversible. – Robotnik May 18 '22 at 11:08
  • @Robotnik yeah, well my answer does say "not yet approved in other places", as in "still in studies/tests phase". Pity it's not becoming widely known/available even after so much time. – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda May 18 '22 at 11:22
  • @Shadow Yeah they're taking their sweet time with it that's for sure. I've been keeping tabs on it for a while but it seems to be in limbo a bit which is unfortunate. – Robotnik May 18 '22 at 11:26
  • @Robotnik true, reason is probably "Pharmaceutical companies have expressed little interest in RISUG" as written in the Wiki page. No interest means not enough money to justify developing it. :( – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda May 18 '22 at 11:31
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There's another completely natural and sustainable and reusable alternative, although NOT vegan. Its the lambskin condom, made from lamb's intestines.

Conor
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  • Oh, that's right. I just studied about it and it is surely a biodegradable option. However it seems a costly option!!! – PD Pro Sep 19 '17 at 05:29
  • Lamb intestines??? Are you sure this is safe? – Pacerier Apr 07 '18 at 07:47
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    Safe? Yes, in both senses. 1) a properly made and maintained lambskin condom will seal against semen. 2) It poses no threat to the wearer of the device. – Conor Apr 09 '18 at 16:08