The answer to male contraception may be at hand in the form of a new pill being developed at the University of Minnesota. The team from the Midwest has already completed a trial that proved 99% effective in limiting male potency in mice.
The University of Minnesota team is led by M.D. Abdullah Al Noman, a Ph.D. student who has focused on male birth control for several years. The team cites studies detailing the willingness of men to take contraceptives but noted there are very few prospects available on the market.
Male contraception has been discussed since the 1960s, but options remain limited to vasectomy and condoms. The lack of alternatives is a driving force behind the team’s work.
They developed the male contraceptive pill by using a different approach to the female pill, diverging from the hormone-based research used in female birth control to create an option that works for men.
Previous attempts at creating a male contraceptive pill have stalled over the use of hormones, as the side effects of using hormones to limit fertility in males included a loss of libido and significant weight gain.
The contraceptive developed by the University of Minnesota team instead targets vitamin A within the male reproductive system. Vitamin A is a vital component in the creation of sperm, research from the Midwest noted, pointing to a dip in fertility when vitamin A is limited.
A 4-week study on the pill has already taken place using mice as test subjects. The drug contains a chemical known as YCT529 to drastically reduced sperm count, showing to be 99% effective in the trial.
Researchers monitored the weight, appetite, and overall activity of the mice and found no apparent adverse effects.
Additionally, the effect of the contraceptive on the mice was reversible, as the specimens’ ability to reproduce returned to normal after 4 to 6 weeks.
News of the research coming out of the University of Minnesota is not a surprise to fertility experts. The academic institution has been at the heart of fertility research for decades and is currently researching several possible male fertility drugs.
The latest estimate given by the University of Minnesota predicts human trials for the male contraceptive pill will begin by the end of 2022. The drug could appear on the market in as little as five years.
