Written by Sanika Joshi
Effective family planning is a goal shared by both men and women, yet the responsibility of preventing unplanned pregnancies always falls upon one gender. There are numerous contraceptive options available for women, but why is this not the case for men?
A recent study, published in September 2016 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, developed and tested an effective and safe hormonal injection for males that could prevent pregnancies by 95.9% [1]. This study, sponsored by the World Health Organization, tested the contraceptive injection in 320 healthy men who ranged from ages 18 to 45 and were in monogamous relationships for at least one year [1]. The hormone injection consisted of 1000 milligrams of synthetic testosterone and 200 milligrams of the female hormone progesterone, also known as norethisterone enanthate [2]. Testosterone was given in combination with progesterone in order to effectively signal the brain to shut down the testicle’s production of sperm and testosterone. This shot was given to the male participants every eight weeks, and their sperm counts were monitored for a period of two years. Overall, the study found that the contraceptive was able to almost completely suppress spermatogenesis, and effectively maintain the suppression of spermatogenesis [2]. Despite its success and its findings, the study was terminated earlier than intended, as the male subjects began to experience side effects from the shots, including changes in mood, production of acne, and muscle pain. Nevertheless, 75% of the participants reported that they would get these hormonal injections if they became available [1].
Even though women experience similar symptoms when taking hormonal birth control, it is important to understand that no form of birth control is perfect and there will always be a risk of side effects. In addition, it is important to understand that, biologically, it is much easier to develop a hormonal birth control for females compared to males [3]. This is because females only produce one egg per month while men are generating millions of sperm cells; therefore, it is more feasible to control the female cycle than males’ sperm production [3]. Regardless, scientists have not given up, and it is only a matter of time before a simple and effective contraceptive for men will be developed in the near future [3].
References
1. Behre, H. M., Zitzmann, M., Anderson, R. A., Handelsman, D. J., Lestari, S. W., McLachlan, R. I., … & Festin, M. P. R. (2016). Efficacy and Safety of an Injectable Combination Hormonal Contraceptive for Men. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 101(12), 4779-4788.
2. Scutti, S. (2016). “Male birth control shot found effective, but side effects cut study short”. CNN.
3. “Male Birth Control Study Killed After Men Report Side Effects” (2016). NPR.