Endocrinologists are making strides in the development of an effective male birth control pill with few negative side effects.
Once-daily male oral contraceptives passed a clinical hurdle earlier this month, according to a study presented at the annual Endocrine Society conference. Two oral contraceptive candidates for males were effective in suppressing hormones needed for sperm production. The pills provide the body with sufficient synthetic hormones to lower testosterone just enough to limit sperm production but not enough to cause hypogonadism, commonly known as low testosterone.
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The endocrinologists behind the study cited an unmet need for reliable male birth control. The few options include vasectomies, which are not easily reversible, and condoms, which have a high failure rate. The burden of preventing pregnancy largely and unevenly falls on women.
“Development of an effective, reversible male contraceptive method will improve reproductive options for men and women, have a major impact on public health by decreasing unintended pregnancy, and allow men to have an increasingly active role in family planning,” said lead researcher Tamar Jacobsohn.
The study included 96 men who received two or four oral pills of an active drug or a placebo every day for about a month. Researchers found that men who took the drug had lower-than-normal testosterone levels within a week. Of the study participants who took the active drug, 75% said they would continue taking it in the future, compared with about 46% of those taking a placebo.
“Men’s positive experiences in clinical trials and high ratings of acceptability for this male pill should serve to excite the public about male birth control being potentially widely available in the coming decades,” Jacobsohn said.
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Since the fall of Roe v. Wade last week, a growing number of men have inquired about vasectomies as a means of birth control. Fears that future rulings could implicate contraception access caused Google searches to skyrocket. Doctors in several other states, including California, New York, and Iowa, also confirmed to the Washington Post that they have seen a jump in patients requesting vasectomies. For example, Los Angeles urologist Philip Werthman reported a “300 to 400%” increase in the number of vasectomy consultations he has performed since the draft of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization opinion leaked in early May, indicating that the court was intent on overturning the right to an abortion.
