” Honey, have you seen my pack of pills? For years we have been told regularly that this futuristic phrase will soon be part of our daily lives. And if this time it was really so? A team of American scientists has identified an effective, non-invasive and temporary way to block male sperm. Presented in the form of a pill, this contraceptive will however have to be subjected to clinical trials on human males and no longer on mice, as was the case until now.
A non-hormonal male birth control pill
Researchers at Cornell University (New York) have developed a contraceptive pill whose principle is to inhibit the functions of soluble adenylate cyclase (sAC). This enzyme, present in most cells of the human body, plays an important role in the mobility of sperms. Scientists administered this contraceptive to male mice and found that within two hours of taking the animals’ sperm cells were completely immobilized and no pregnancy occurred after mating.
This oral contraceptive is non-hormonal and has only a temporary effect: 24 hours after the experiment, the male mice had regained their normal fertility rate. The result was confirmed during the six weeks of research, with no adverse effects.
Scientists have published their research in the scientific journal Nature and I already see it as a true scientific revolution:
This innovative, on-demand, non-hormonal technology (…) [jamais] previously considered has the potential to ensure gender equity and, like the advent of oral contraception for women, to revolutionize family planning.
Extract from the study published in the online scientific journal nature.com
Male contraception: why does it get stuck?
There are currently only two means of male contraception validated by the ANSM: the condom and permanent contraception, i.e. vasectomy. Some methods like contraceptive rings and heated panties have many followers. However, they are not approved in France and therefore cannot be considered “official” methods of contraception.
A few weeks ago we talked about it with Martin Winckler, doctor and feminist activist. To explain the lack of investment in contraceptive research for men, you cited several avenues and in particular the difficulty of conducting clinical trials with this population. It is ethically complicated to identify the proven number of partners and thus establish reliable results. Again according to the activist, it was in fact easier to stop the fertility of women, effective for only a few days a month, than that of men, which is permanent. She finally remembered it come what may, and regardless of which partner is responsible for contraception, the idea of contraceptive fairness would be illusory. Women will always be the first to be affected in the event of an unwanted pregnancy and will have to pay the physical consequences.
However, many men are now moving towards more egalitarian and less restrictive solutions for their partners who have been accepting the side effects of hormonal contraceptives for decades. If this pill also works on human males, then it could bring relief to many women…
Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
