The desire by men to have a contraceptive pill is over. For years, researchers at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development have been working on a pill for men who do not want to have children and do not want to have a condom as their only alternative.
In 2012, they tested two gels which saw men’s sperm drop from 15 to 200 million sperm per millilitre to less than 1 million per milliliter.
A few days ago, male reproduction biologist Christina Wang from the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute (LA BioMed) and her team announced that an oral drug called 11-beta-MNTDC is safe after being tested on 40 men in its phase 1 clinical trial.
“Our results suggest that this pill, which combines two hormonal activities in one, will decrease sperm production while preserving libido,” she said at the ENDO (Endocrine Society’s annual conference) 2019 in New Orleans on Sunday.
“Since testosterone production is shut down in the testes, the androgen action in the rest of the body maintains ‘maleness’ elsewhere, supporting things like male pattern hair, deep voice, sex drive and function, and lean body mass,” endocrinologist Stephanie Page from the University of Washington added.
However, a few participants said that they experienced fatigue, headaches, and acne as side effects while two mild erectile dysfunctions. But these effects are mild, the scientists reported.
Source: Guardian Newspaper
