MALE CONTRACEPTIVE PILLS: ARE YOU READY?

Male contraceptives are methods of preventing pregnancy that primarily involve the male physiology. In the past 50 years, there have been few changes in male contraception compared with the range of options available to women. Today, the only contraceptive methods available to men are: condoms – a barrier form of contraception that stops sperm reaching and fertilizing an egg. 

A new male contraceptive could be on the horizon after scientists identified a novel way to block the transport of sperm during ejaculation.

Published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science scientists have found that complete male infertility could be achieved by blocking two proteins found on the smooth muscle cells that trigger the transport of sperm.

The researchers demonstrated that the absence of two proteins in mouse models, α1A-adrenoceptor and P2X1-purinoceptor, which mediate sperm transport, caused infertility, without effects on long-term sexual behaviour or function. This  knowledge could be applied to the potential development of a contraceptive pill for men.

Previous strategies have focused on hormonal targets or mechanisms that produce dysfunctional sperm incapable of fertilization, but they often interfere with male sexual activity and cause long term irreversible effects on fertility.

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