Attempts to invent an effective, simple, and safe birth control pill for men are taking shape, thanks to the discovery of a new method to prevent sperm from swimming to eggs. While this opens the door to the development of male contraceptives, many worry that unwelcome bonuses may follow.
Upon the pill’s development, scientists at Cornell University began the trials on mice. The findings showed that the pill worked effectively, stunning sperm for at least a few hours to prevent them from approaching the eggs. Additional experiments are afoot and the following stage is on rabbits.
Unlike hormonal pills, short-term birth control pills for men do not involve any hormones. Simply put, it won’t eliminate testosterone and cause no male hormone deficiency side effects. Instead, scientists targeted a cell signaling protein called Soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC), which plays a central role in sperm motility.
Temporarily blocking sAC halts sperm motility, and that is how the pills function.
A single dose of the meds TDI-11861 immobilized sperm before, during, and after sex in a mouse study that was initially funded by the US National Institutes of Health and published in Nature Communications. distribute. About 3 hours pass before the effect wears off. The medication loses its effect after 24 hours.
Dr. Melanie Balbach from Weill Cornell Medicine School in New York, one of the researchers, stated that TDI-11861 has the potential to be a simple-to-use contraceptive. Men can choose their fertility on a daily basis if TDI-11861 is successful in humans. However, experts caution that the drug will not provide protection against STDs; condoms will be required for that.
For years, scientists have explored multiple forms of male contraceptives. But due to fertility effects, no drug seems to hit the shot.
According to Professor Allan Pacey at Sheffield University, the pill could represent a significant advancement in the search for a male birth control method if the experiment proves successful on males. Other researchers are looking into a separate strategy to prevent sperm from swimming by blocking a protein on the exterior of the sperm.
With scientific advances, perhaps men will be able to share the burdens of taking birth control that has traditionally been placed on women.
