The responsibility of contraception and the contraceptive pill may now no longer be left up to women, as a new potential “Male Pill” has been developed.
A new male contraceptive has been made that can immobilise sperm temporarily and affecting their ability to swim, which significantly limits their fertilisation capabilities. The new pill contains a compound called EP005 and binds to sperm to slow down their overall motility and mobility without affecting hormones and causing other side effects.
This exciting new compound could lead to a potential “Male Pill” without side effects. The findings were published in a new study in the journal PLOS ONE on April 19 2018.
The researchers at the University of North Carolina have explained that the EPO55 compound turns off the sperm’s ability to swim, which significantly limits the sperm’s capability to fertilise an egg. This makes it an ideal option for a non-hormonal male pill.
At present women are left to take the responsibility of contraceptives and these can and do have side effects. The only safe forms of contraception for men are condoms, or vasectomy. There have been clinical trials on hormones that target the production of sperm, but these affect the male hormones and have lots of side effects.
The researchers found that sperm motility was affected thirty hours following a high-dose intravenous infusion of EP055. They also found that no physical side effects were observed.
The studies also showed that the EP055 compound is also reversible. The researchers found that at 18 days post the infusion that the sperm motility had completely recovered and were back to normal. The research was conducted on male monkeys.
The researchers have indicated that more work is needed before EP055 becomes available for human use. The research team has also begun to test a pill form of the compound and are going to test the new pill on its effectiveness against pregnancy.
Andrew Orr
-No Stone Left Unturned
-Women’s and Men’s Health Advocate