By the end of the year, the first male birth control pill could be tested in humans. It has already shown effectiveness in lab trials.
Researchers at the University of Minnesota are responsible for creating the contraceptive, noting it was 99% effective in preventing pregnancy in mice. It didn’t display any evident side effects. Instead of using hormones, the pill aims at interactions with vitamin A. This is an essential part of fertility.
The study with the mice involved the compound GPHR-529. It was given for four weeks and showed a dramatic drop in semen.This ultimately made the mice sterile.
Once the treatments were halted, the mice’s virility resumed to normal levels in about four to six weeks.
Abdullah Al Noman is a Ph.D. candidate at the university. He is the head of the research on the new birth control pill. He has been studying male contraception for many years. However, the University of Minnesota has been analyzing male birth control pills for a while.
Some researchers had stated that they had found a way to stop sperm’s movement. This would be done by using extract from a plant that was utilized by African warriors and hunters. It had previously been put on the tips of arrows to stop the heart with the poison. That procedure is still being studied.
Another clinical trial that is already underway involves a male contraceptive gel that has to be rubbed on the shoulder each day.
