For many years scientists have been conducting research on the development of a contraceptive for men, which could be an alternative to hormonal pills used by women. The pill that American doctors are currently examining has a chance to become such a measure. Research on mice has shown its effectiveness in 99%.
- Among men, the most popular contraceptive is the condom, and the most effective — practically irreversible – vasectomy
- Scientists have been looking for alternatives for decades. They research various compounds trying to find one that is both effective and safe
- Recent studies by US doctors on mice have brought very good results. Soon the new drug will be tested in humans
- More important information can be found on the TvoiLokony home page
Men don’t have much choice when it comes to contraception. Apart from the popular condom, only a vasectomy can prevent unwanted pregnancy in your partner. However, this male form of sterilization, due to its irreversibility, is not one of the willingly chosen methods of protection. Possible reversal of vasectomy is a very costly process and its effects are uncertain.
Therefore, doctors are looking for an alternative to counterbalance the burden of contraception, which at the moment rests mainly on women. They have definitely more options to choose from.
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The contraceptive pill must be safe
Despite many attempts to create an effective and safe contraception for men, so far no preparation has successfully passed clinical trials in humans. Most of them relied on hormones, but scientists found that non-hormonal agents had fewer side effects and therefore safer. This was confirmed by Dr. Abdullah al Noman of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
«Safety is very important with birth control pills as people are not taking them because of illness so they are less tolerant of side effects» — said Noman, quoted by newscientist.com.
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Effective for mice and for humans?
Scientists from Minneapolis tested a non-hormonal preparation. For four weeks, they gave male mice a daily dose of the YCT529 molecule and found that their sperm counts dropped sharply by as much as 99%. Four to six weeks after cessation of treatment, the mice were able to reproduce normally without any apparent side effects.
“When we went up to 100 times the dose, the compound showed no toxicity whatsoever” — says Noman, who unveiled the results of the study on Wednesday at the American Chemical Society conference in San Diego, California.
Noman and his colleagues have licensed their drug to a private company that aims to conduct human trials in the US later this year.
“It is difficult to predict whether a drug that is effective in animal studies will also work in human studies, so we are still investigating other compounds” — said Dr. Abdullah al Noman.
Also read:
- Will changing the contraceptive pill protect against blood clots? The gynecologist explains
- Male birth control pill – is a breakthrough in research
- Ligation of the vas deferens