MALE BIRTH CONTROL OPTIONS
Source: Downtoearth
1. Context:
There has not been a new form of male birth control since no-scalpel vasectomy in the 1980s.
2. Introduction:
- People who can become pregnant have several effective birth control methods like oral pills, injections, implants, patches, vaginal rings, IUDs, and sterilization.
- People who produce sperm have limited options, withdrawal & condoms which have high failure rates.
- Withdrawl failure rate is 20%, and the condoms failure rate is 2-13%.
- Vasectomies have a failure rate of less than 1% which require minimally invasive surgery & a permanent method of contraception.
- Neither vasectomies nor withdrawal protects against sexually transmitted infections.
| Reversible & affordable contraception options can help men participate & share contraceptive responsibilities with their partners & reduce the rate of unintended pregnancies. |
3. Taking Responsibility:
- Over 80% of men wanted to prevent their partner from getting pregnant & wanted to take the sole responsibility for birth control.
- Men who are dissatisfied with condoms use withdrawal as a form of birth control or never use contraception.
- 87% of men are interested in new methods for male contraception.
- A survey of over 9,000 men in nine countries over four continents found that over 55% would be willing to use a new method of male birth control.
- Another survey across 3 continents found that 98% of women would trust their partners to use a male birth control method.
4. Barriers to Male Contraception:
- Male contraception development has primarily been supported by governmental & non-governmental organizations, including the World Health Organization.
- These agencies do not have a drug development infrastructure comparable to pharmaceutical companies.
- Limited financial resources further slow down development.
- Lack of interest from pharmaceutical companies may play a role in deterring male contraception development & there are several possible reasons the drug industry shies away from male birth control.
- One reason includes weighing the cost of development with uncertainties about the potential market.
- Other reasons include uncertainties about who would dispense these drugs & unclear regulatory requirements for male contraceptive methods to receive FDA approval.
- Companies may be concerned about liability if pregnancy occurs.
5. New Methods:
- Researchers are currently looking into several different methods of male contraception.
- Hormonal methods are usually taken as a gel applied to the skin, injection to the muscle or oral pill.
- These methods typically contain testosterone & progestin.
- The progestin suppresses two pituitary hormones that control the testes, the organs that produce sperm.
- The testes require high concentrations of testosterone to make sperm.
- Testosterone is typically included in hormonal methods to ensure that there is an adequate level of the hormone for other bodily functions.
- On the contrary, taking testosterone may also help suppress sperm production, because increasing circulating testosterone levels above a certain level suppresses the same two pituitary hormones.
- The addition of progestin enhances the suppression of sperm production.
- Non-hormonal methods typically involve drugs that specifically target sperm-producing organs to decrease sperm concentration.
- Non-hormonal drugs show efficacy in animal models, but preclinical toxicology results are needed before clinical studies to demonstrate safety, tolerability, and efficacy in people can begin.
- Another non-hormonal method involves reversibly blocking the vas deferens, an organ that transports sperm for ejaculation.
- Hydrogels are a type of polymer that retains water, that blocks sperm from travelling through the vas deferens.
6.Epilogue:
People are ready for new contraceptive methods. Collaboration across academic, government, nonprofit & pharmaceutical sectors can help deliver new birth control methods that are safe, reversible, acceptable & accessible to all.
