LIFESTYLE NEWS - A recent study looking at the effectiveness of a male contraceptive injection was abandoned after the men taking part reported increased incidences of acne (nearly half), mood disorders (over a fifth) and raised libido (over a third).
In fact, there were 320 men in the study – and a total of 1 491 adverse events were reported. For those overseeing the trial these side effects were viewed as being more significant than the fact that the contraceptive injection appeared to work well in reducing the production of sperm – and the evidence does appear to support their concerns?
Nevertheless, many women will feel these side effects seem minor when compared with those of the female contraceptive pill – and they’d have a point, too.
These include anxiety, weight gain, nausea, headaches, reduced libido and blood clots. Which raises the question: why is it so hard to make a male contraceptive?
And if the plug has been pulled on this one because of side effects, would the female contraceptive pill make it to market if it were released today?
On the face of it, regulating fertility in men should be the more obvious choice. Sperm are produced on a constant basis and not in cycles like eggs are in women. This means that, barring any underlying health problems, men are always fertile. In addition, as the biology of sperm production is well-known, the mechanisms of how to block it are also well-known.
Indeed, the current study was exploiting the well-established relationship between testosterone – the hormone that gives men their male characteristics – and sperm production. By giving men synthetic testosterone in combination with a hormone called progestogen – similar to the hormones usually found in the pill – sperm production in the testes is reduced dramatically.
Before the study was halted, the researchers from Martin Luther University, Germany, observed that pregnancy rates for the men on their trial fell to an equivalent of just 1.5 babies conceived per 100 couples. Compare this with the pregnancy rate of nine babies per 100 couples for women using the combined pill, and the development of such a male contraceptive seems like a no-brainer.
Indeed, the current study was exploiting the well-established relationship between testosterone – the hormone that gives men their male characteristics – and sperm production. By giving men synthetic testosterone in combination with a hormone called progestogen – similar to the hormones usually found in the pill – sperm production in the testes is reduced dramatically.
Before the study was halted, the researchers from Martin Luther University, Germany, observed that pregnancy rates for the men on their trial fell to an equivalent of just 1.5 babies conceived per 100 couples. Compare this with the pregnancy rate of nine babies per 100 couples for women using the combined pill, and the development of such a male contraceptive seems like a no-brainer.
