Explained: What Is A Male Contraceptive Pill And How Does It Work

Since most contraceptives are developed for individuals with uteruses, those with testes have few alternatives for preventing conception. Researchers are now working on a non-hormonal contraceptive tablet for men, which has shown to be effective in laboratory tests on mice. Human testing could begin by the end of the year, as per the contraceptive's developers.

"Women have a variety of birth control methods, extending from tablets to patches to intrauterine devices," the scientists note in a press release. "Partly as a result, they shoulder the majority of the burden of avoiding conception."

"However, men's birth control alternatives and thus responsibilities¡ªmight be expanding shortly."

What is a male contraceptive pill and how does it work?

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The male contraceptive, also known as DMAU, is one of numerous male contraceptives in development. Gels and shots, on the other hand, have not proven useful or even appealing to males. Nonhormonal Male contraception is another option.

According to a Smithsonian mag report, the new pill made by a group at the University of Minnesota prevents proteins from binding to vitamin A, which is known to be important for mammalian reproduction and virility. According to studies presented this week at the American Chemical Society's annual meeting, the medicine is 99 percent efficient at pregnancy prevention in mice and has no known negative effects.

The university's experimental male oral contraception might be administered once a day and would work by affecting male sex hormones such as testosterone. Dimethandrolone undecanoate (DMAU) is a tablet that lowers the levels of these hormones to a level that suppresses sperm production.

It inhibits the creation of testosterone and sperm by suppressing two male hormones, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), without generating low-testosterone symptoms (low-T).

According to a study released in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, DMAU, the currently approved oral contraceptive, has the potential to do just that. For 28 days, eighty-two men between the ages of 18 and 50 were randomly assigned to receive either a placebo or one of three doses of the drug. Testosterone, FSH, and LH levels were all reduced in those who took the greatest dose (400 mg). The study, however, did not take into account sperm count.

Recent research claims

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Based on past research, scientists claim that after taking the DMAU pill every day for a month, men's testosterone levels decreased to "castrate" levels. This indicates that the hormone levels were as low as if they had been castrated. To prevent side effects such as poor libido and limited sexual function, the researchers mixed testosterone with a steroid.

Experts also believe that testosterone supplements generally harm the liver, but until now DMAU does not appear to do so. It may be the subject of a series of longer-term investigations in the future.

When mice were given the medication orally for 4 weeks, their sperm count plummeted to the point that they became sterile. When the researchers stopped giving the mice the medicine, they discovered that the mice's virility returned to normal in four to six weeks.

According to Hannah Seo of Popular Science, depending on the results of human studies, medicine could soon be the first effective way of birth control for those with tests other than condoms or surgery.

The chequered history behind male contraceptive pills

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Periodic testosterone shots were found to be 99 percent efficient in stopping pregnancies in 2009. This type of treatment is frequently given to men who are deficient in testosterone. The injections' development was halted because of side effects on men's health, such as acne, headaches, depression, and mental disorders, reported by one of the health facilities.

Later, a gel injection for men that is administered into the vas deferens was introduced. Non-hormonal birth contraception, unlike a vasectomy, is easily reversible. It's comparable to an IUD in that it can last for years.

Another shot that passes into the scrotum is Reversible Inhibition of Sperm Under Guidance (RISUG). The male contraception method was created by Indian scientists to stop sperm from departing during sex. In comparison to more intrusive contraception alternatives for women, males get the injection in an outpatient facility and may need a day to recover.

A large clinical trial of a hormonal contraceptive injection for males had to be halted late in 2016 due to worries about side effects ¡ª and the men in the experiment were blamed of being too sissy to deal with the daily misery that women on the Pill suffer.

According to a Vox report, 75 percent of the research respondents intended to keep using the shot. One of the 2 autonomous committees overseeing the trial's safety information was so concerned about adverse outcomes that the trial was shut down.

The findings reported at the American Chemical Society (ACS) spring meeting 2022 this year paves the way for clinical trials to determine whether contraception is effective in human males.

Female vs Male birth control

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According to a story in Medical News Today, a contraceptive study has mostly concentrated on producing contraceptive pills that either prevent women from ovulating or make it impossible for sperm to access the uterus for over a century. However, recent trials on male contraception have been shelved because the side effects are deemed too severe ¡ª despite the widely held belief that women are willing to go to any length to avoid conception.

However, according to LPOD statistics, searches for 'male contraception' increased by 50% in 2020, indicating a desire for more choice and leveling the playing field.

Experts state, According to experts if people care about women and interact with them on a regular basis, they would favor this new development since it could lead to a more open discussion about gender norms in sexual interactions.

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