What Does Male Birth Control Mean for Reproductive Healthcare?

Photo via Sarah C on Flickr.

When searching through the aisles for male contraceptives, the eye immediately goes to the stacks upon stacks of condoms. Condoms are the most common and reasonable contraceptive for males. For years, men have escaped “the pill.” “The pill,” a daily medication used to prevent pregnancy, is a well-known contraceptive designed for females, and not necessarily males. 

Women also have the responsibility to pay and consume the pill while men go along carefree from that burden. It has also been proven again and again that the pricing of women's contraceptives is much more expensive. Not only does the pill take a financial toll, but also a physical one. 

Physical symptoms for women can range widely with different medications. It’s about time we realize that men get the easy way out in the world of contraceptives. Not only has society realized this, but doctors have as well. It is only fair that scientists dip their toes into making a better variety of male contraceptives. 

We ask ourselves, what about men? Why don’t men need to set the alarm to remind them to take the pill? Why is the pill playing field uneven? With modern medicine at our disposal, it is no surprise that doctors have been working to expand male birth control options.

“Scientists have been trying for decades to develop an effective male oral contraceptive, but there are still no approved pills on the market,” says Scientist Abdullah Al Noman in research presented to the American Chemical Society (ACS) on male birth control pills. The majority of drugs in clinical trials now work by inhibiting the male sex hormone testosterone, although this could have negative consequences like weight gain, depression and an increase in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. 

To avoid these side effects for men and make it a non-hormonal pill, doctors found a protein that could discriminate against the complexity of the pill. Researchers in the study by the ACS have closely examined different types of proteins such as retinoic acid receptor alpha (RAR-α). This acid receptor is a form of vitamin A that contributes to cell growth, sperm formation and embryonic development. 

The ACS report from this study shows that injecting this vitamin into a mouse completely dismisses the ability to create sperm without any apparent side effects. On the other hand, scientists have discovered an oral compound that includes all of the RAR trio, which would cause reversible sterility. 

Within the RAR trio, the compound YCT529 significantly reduced the amount of sperm produced. When given to the mice for four weeks, the YCT529 effectively minimized the sperm count and was 99% effective in preventing pregnancies. Once the mice stopped taking the oral contraceptive, their sperm was back to normal within 4-6 weeks. The researchers for this pill are confident in the effectiveness of the oral contraceptive and hope to release the pill by 2024.

But what does this mean for women and the progression of birth control methods? It is easy to say that since we are working on a male oral contraceptive that the pill playing field is even, but the truth is, it took way too long and is far from being even. Women’s birth control has ranged from inserts, shots, pills and tubes, while men just have condoms. The formation of this new pill does give the other team some points in terms of playing even. Although it is not entirely ready to use, I am thankful that we are taking steps to broaden the horizon of male contraceptives.