CLOSE TO A MALE PILL?
Work continues on contraceptive
If Justin Trudeau can have a gender balanced cabinet, perhaps it’s time for men to catch up in another important aspect of life. For more than 50 years, women have had effective control of their own fertility with oral contraceptives, and we have had condoms and strategic withdrawal.
Now, the “male pill” may become a reality.
Scientists at Osaka University have demonstrated that drugs used to suppress the immune system, such as cyclosporine A, have a surprising effect on sperm in mice. After four to five days of drug treatment, the rodents became infertile due to reduced sperm motility. Yet fertility was restored a week after treatment was discontinued. Haruhiko Miyata and colleagues write that this discovery “may lead to the development of a reversible male contraceptive that would target spermatozoa in the epididymis.”
It’s not the first time scientists have tried to come up with a birth control pill for guys. As far back as 1994, researchers from India obtained patents on an injectable gel that would block the passage of sperm in the vas deferens for up to 10 years. It had the advantage of being non- hormonal, and it could potentially be reversed by flushing out the gel if a guy changed his mind.
Not surprisingly, men did not line up for this injection. An article in the Indian newspaper The Pioneer noted that, after two years of trying to persuade men to try it, “only 64 volunteers against a target 500 participants have registered themselves”.
For men who truly want to eliminate further offspring, vasectomy, the surgical removal of a part of the tube that carries sperm, is highly effective. However, if circumstances change, and a child is desired, undoing a vasectomy can be problematic.
According to the Mayo Clinic’s website, reversals done within three years of the vasectomy have a greater than 95 per cent chance of having sperm return, whereas, if more than 15 years has passed, the chances drop to around 70 per cent. Reversibility also depends on the nature of the original procedure.
Dr. Ethan Grober is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Urology at Mount Sinai Hospital & Women’s College Hospital in Toronto. He performs vasectomy reversals and has a helpful webpage that answers many common questions. Grober also notes that “most provincial health- care providers do not cover the cost of a vasectomy reversal” and that the cost is about $ 5,000. So think before you snip.
One of most tireless advocates for an effective male contraceptive is a woman — Elaine Lissner. In 1989, she founded the Male Contraception Information Project. On it, she wrote that “we used to talk about men ‘ sharing the burden’ of contraception — but these days, many men talk about wanting ‘ control.’ Men want to control their own destinies.”
Lissner is now the founding director of the California- based Parsemus Foundation ( www.parsemusfoundation.org) which continues to share information on male contraception. She explains that, unlike female birth control pills, a good male contraceptive would definitely be non- hormonal. “Hormones affect everything from A to Z,” she says. “Acne, appetite, blood pressure ... cholesterol, diabetes risk, depression, and so on. We don’t need to run that experiment again on men — we can do better.” She is a strong supporter of the injectable gel contraceptive, now called Vasagel, and notes that human trials will begin in 2016 and it might be on the market by 2018.
There are also some pretty farout ideas in male contraception, like the Indonesian herb Justicia gendarussa. Proponents claim that Papua New Guinea tribesmen chew this shrub to keep their wives from getting pregnant. Scientific tests are ongoing, but, of course, it’s already available online, as the Gandarusa Pill, for the truly adventurous.
Then, there’s the Clean Sheets Pill. This is a drug that relaxes the longitudinal muscles of the Wolffian duct system, while leaving the circular muscles still functioning. While you probably didn’t even know you had these muscles down there, they have a lot to do with fun in the bedroom.
The net effect of this pill is orgasm without ejaculation, or as Techcitement writer Jon Clinkenbeard put it, “all of the feel- good with none of the mess.” Those fluids that would normally have reached your partner, or the sheets, are absorbed naturally by the body. A significant side benefit is a reduction in the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV.
There’s little doubt that science will soon give us a reasonably safe and effective form of male contraception.
Whether it catches on will depend on economic and cultural factors. One thing is certain — there are many guys who would love to take control of their sperm right now.
These days, many men talk about wanting ‘ control.’ Men want to control their own destinies.