Researchers are one step closer to developing a safe and effective male contraceptive pill

The female birth control pill has been around for about 60 years now. Prescribed by a doctor and taken daily, it is highly effective in preventing pregnancies (99.7% effective with perfect use). At the same time, not much progress has been made in manufacturing a male contraceptive pill. There are two methods used by men currently: condoms are the most common, with very few men opting for vasectomies. The latter is reversible now (though there is no guarantee of conception); a surgery in which the vas deferens, which transfers sperm to the urethra, is cut or tied. 

Representational image. Image source: Getty Images.

The male contraceptive pill

Why is there no male contraceptive pill? Opinion polls have suggested reluctance in its usage and many pharmaceutical companies may have not thought of it as a worthwhile investment. It appears that there just isn’t enough demand for it. Considering that there are 89 million unintended pregnancies and 48 million abortions a year, this is rather surprising. 

Pills or injections that have been developed for men have produced undesirable side effects. A commonly used method is to lower the amount of testosterone in the body to suppress the production of sperm - but if the level of testosterone falls too low there is a higher likelihood of mood disorders and depression. Participants in pilot stages also reported lower libido and temporary erectile dysfunction. 

Some breakthroughs

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Last year, a drug was developed that contained progestin and modified testosterone. The progestin works to lower sperm production and the modified testosterone helps maintain the levels of testosterone in the body. This drug, in small clinical trials, performed well, but the above mentioned side effects were still present. The researchers said that further study was required and that it would be a decade before the drug could become reality. 

Robots to the rescue

Researchers at the University of Dundee in Scotland have developed an “unrivalled, fully automated robotic screening system” which allows them to check the effectiveness of chemicals on sperm in real-time. The technology allowed them to study 13,000 drugs that were in the clinical trial stage at the cellular level and analyze their effectiveness. In a breakthrough, the researchers revealed that it is “possible to find effective agents that halt sperm in its tracks” and further research will be carried out on these chemicals. 

So far, our understanding of the biology of sperm has been surprisingly limited. We do not have sufficient knowledge of protein targets that make sperm act the way they do. Further, technological constraints have meant that researchers are unable to test the interactions of multiple chemicals with sperm, and clinical trials that have been conducted or are in process are very slow. By building a miniaturized parallel testing agent and image processing tools, these shortcomings have been overcome. Also, an interaction known as the acrosome reaction can be examined from a different lens thanks to technology. This reaction is a critical part of fertilization and understanding its mechanics will further our understanding of how sperm works. 

The advent of robot technology could mean that we are finally closer to a male contraceptive pill or injection. This should, hopefully, lead to a decrease in the number of unintended pregnancies. 

For more information, read our article on Birth Control Methods.

Health articles in Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, India’s first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health.