A potential male birth control pill haspassed its first round of human safety and tolerability tests.
According to the study released by The Endocrine Society, all 40 men who competed in the revolutionary new tests were able to complete the28-day safety test without dropping out due to adverse side effects.
The new pill called 11-beta-methyl-19-nortestosterone dodecylcarbonate or 11-beta-MNTDC, manages to limit sperm count without limiting libido. Allowing men to still want and enjoy sexual intercourse without the worry of unwanted pregnancy, the pill would really shake up the family planning world.
“It is a modified testosterone that has the combined actions of a male hormone (androgen) and a progesterone,” said the study’s co-senior investigator, Christina Wang, M.D., Associate Director, Clinical and Translational Science Institute at Los Angeles Biomed Research Institute, “Our results suggest that this pill, which combines two hormonal activities in one, will decrease sperm production while preserving libido,”
The pill takes about 60 – 90 days to reach the full potential of effective birth control.
Since birth control has mainly been for women for the past 50 years, this new pill is a major breakthrough for the reproductive health for both men and women. The pill only has a few more tests before it could possibly hit the market but Wang says it will be soon.
Wang says, “Safe, reversible hormonal male contraception should be available in about 10 years.”
