Be it an injection, a patch or one of a variety of tiny pastel colored pills, its obvious that women have a lot to choose from when it comes to birth control. For years, the contraceptive options for men have been limited. However, researchers at King's College London have identified several chemical ingredients that could be used to create a male birth control pill.
Despite decades of research, the only male contraceptives available on the market today are condoms and vasectomies. If the male birth control proposed by King's College proves to be effective and to have limited side effects, this new male contraceptive could provide a welcomed source of extra protection during sex.
Men want to be able to share in the responsibility of using contraceptives, explained Ronald May, UW-Madison psychology lecturer. The interest in male contraceptives may be two-fold, depending on the couple. Some men may be interested in giving their female partner a break from contraceptive duties, while others may seek greater control over the risk of unplanned pregnancy.
While condoms are estimated to be 98 percent effective when used properly, the average condom wearer often incorrectly uses, or neglects to use a condom in the heat of the moment. When this happens, the risk of unplanned pregnancy increases to a rate of 10 to 14 percent, according to the Food and Drug Administration. For a more effective solution to contraception, a man may get a vasectomy, a procedure that produces a sperm-less ejaculation. While vasectomy reversals can be done, the likelihood of having children following reversal may be greatly compromised.
""Both condoms and a vasectomy are cheap and low-risk,"" said Elaine Lissner, director of the Male Contraceptive Information Project, a nonprofit organization in California. ""But, men are waiting for an option that is both reversible (like condoms) and near 100 percent reliable (like vasectomies).""
Christopher Smith and Nnaemeka Amobi, scientists at King's College, believe they are on the right track for producing a reliable, yet easily reversible contraceptive option for men.
The proposed drug, now entering clinical trials, was developed after researchers noticed that phenoxybenzamine (PBZ) and thioridazine, two drugs commonly used to treat schizophrenia, caused ""dry"" ejaculations in patients during sex.
Researchers discovered that PBZ and thioridazine were temporarily paralyzing the contractile muscles that normally propel sperm and other seminal fluids down the vas deferens, the tunnel connecting the testes to the urethra. Without the movement of semen through the vas deferens, ejaculations without semen—or dry ejaculations—take place.
Building upon their understanding of how PBZ and thioridazine interact with the contractile muscles of the vas deferens, researchers have now developed chemicals that optimize the contraceptive effect, Amobi said in an
e-mail interview.
For commercial reasons, the researchers refrained from disclosing the names of the chemicals that produce the semen-less ejaculation.
While many men are raising their eyebrows at the thought of the proposed dry ejaculation, researchers believe the male contraceptive will not reduce the pleasure of sex.
""The inhibition of sperm emission does not affect orgasmic sensation or the ‘ejaculatory' response,"" Amobi said.
Clinical trials will help to assess how pleasurable a ""dry"" ejaculation can be, as well as the effectiveness and side effects of the proposed male pill.
Unfortunately, the future male contraceptive is always ""years away,"" explained Scott Spear, UW-Madison associate professor of pediatrics and physician at University Health Services.
Most attempts to create male contraceptives have been discovered to produce too many side effects for men, Spear said.
""Former attempts to develop male contraceptives that target sperm production also caused decreased sex drive and libido,"" said Spear. ""If you can transiently block sperm, [as proposed by new pill] this is a good thing.""
Unlike female contraceptives, the prospective male birth control pill is non-hormonal and can be taken preceding sex by several hours to receive the contraceptive effect. Men who seek a regular contraceptive effect could also take the pill daily, similarly to the way that women regularly take birth control pills.
Any pill, however, would not protect against sexually transmitted diseases, so condoms would still be needed for intercourse with unknown partners.
Both May and Spear said they believe that if clinical trials of the pill demonstrate that it is both effective and has minimal side effects, the pill would be a great option for couples.
""By providing a variety of contraceptive choices, the hope is that everybody will be able to find at least one contraceptive that is appropriate for their situation,"" Lissner said.
