Birth Control Pill for Men Has Been Created
Birth control pills have been both a prerogative and burden for women for more than half a century ever since their approval in 1960. As the name suggests, its first and foremost purpose was contraception. Throughout the years, contraception remained the primary purpose for using birth control pills, although its usage had eventually expanded to treating various problems with periods, acne, cramps, and so on. Effectiveness, simplicity, and low cost made birth control pills one of the most popular methods of contraception.
One thing that birth control pills lacked was gender equality. Male birth control pills have never been really an option, since there were none that could be used. Numerous attempts were made to create one, but, alas, it yielded to nothing that would be safe and effective. This fact left men with merely one viable option – condoms, as other methods are either invasive (vasectomy) or risky (coitus interruptus aka pull-out method). But things are about to make a 180-degree turn.
Right now, researchers are testing a new birth control pill for men that functions just like the birth control pills that women use. Similarly, the new pill is supposed to be taken on a daily basis, which is going to render men taking it temporarily infertile. The initial test has proven it to be safe and effective. Further tests are expected to be carried out in the future. Here’s what is currently known about the new birth control pill for men:
- It’s a hormonal contraceptive designed to block production of sperm;
- Its main component is an androgen/anabolic steroid called dimethandrolone undecanoate (DMAU);
- It achieves its goal by reducing the levels of hormones – namely testosterone, LH and FSH – responsible for sperm production;
- Its effect is temporary (one month) and, therefore, reversible;
- It’s easily absorbed, and it doesn’t cause liver or kidney damage as opposed to experimental hormonal contraceptives that came before it;
- It generated very few cases of side effects, such as weight gain, decreased HDL cholesterol, mood changes, and acne.
The DMAU pill certainly looks promising, but it should be noted that it’s still rather far from appearing on the shelves of pharmacies. The immediate interest of researchers is focused on finding out whether DMAU actually stops men’s bodies from producing sperm or not; and this is definitely going to require lots of research in the future.
