A birth control pill for men is on its way, but how does it work?

When it comes to oral contraceptives marketed for women like the Plan B pills (i-Pill and its local variations when it comes to India), hormonal side-effects are expected. More specifically, the monthly period can be delayed if not along with other adverse side-effects like nausea and headaches. 

Now, a bunch of mice offer hope for another solution...

What?

A 'male contraceptive' is being worked upon by scientists. So, in a study published in Nature Communications, the US National Institutes of Health have funded experiments regarding a single dose of the drug, called TDI-11861. This contraceptive drug was offered to male mice before and after mating, immobilising sperm in both cases. 

How long does the effect last? 

As per the study results, the effect lasts for around three hours. So, the idea is to pop the pill before sex while ensuring that intercourse happens within an hour or two. 

How is this revolutionary?

TD1-11861, if proven successful in humans too, would be quite revolutionary given that previous attempts at male contraceptive pills weren’t this fast to activate in the first place. 

And why it’s more novel than the mainstream contraceptive pills for vulva-owners is that TD1-11861 is intended to have no hormonal side-effects. 

So, how does it work? 

Instead of affecting the levels of the hormone testosterone, the drug would affect the movement and even temporarily block soluble adenylyl cyclase or sAC. This is the main enzyme in sperm that is critical for its movement. So far, the study establishes that the sperm quality or potency would not be affected. It’s just the movement that will be controlled for a brief period. 

But can humans use it now?

So far, the clinical trials have only been limited to mice. The next round will incorporate rabbits and only then will it move to human subjects. 

While human sperm has also been tested for a few rounds so far, a full-fledged clinical trial is still required. To quote University of Sheffield’s Professor Allan Pacey in a BBC report,

"If the trials on mice can be replicated in humans with the same degree of efficacy, then this could well be the male contraceptive approach we have been looking for. They have done some tests on human sperm in the laboratory and it works in exactly the same way. So that, I think, really does open up the prospects that we can have some human trials."

Still, try wearing a condom.

While pregnancy risks might stop with this safer and non-hormonal male contraceptive, doctors still advise to use condoms during intercourse as this pill will ensure no protection against sexually-transmitted diseases.

Also, it's still some time away.

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