Male Birth Control Drug ‘Stops Sperm in Their Tracks’ - Would You Take It?

What's the story?

• A new non-hormonal male contraceptive pill that would temporarily stun sperm and stop them from swimming might become a viable alternative to traditional contraceptives.
• Unlike female contraceptives, the pill will be non-hormonal and will not affect testosterone or create a hormone deficiency in men who take it.

How does it work?

• Scientists have found a cellular pathway that stops sperm from being able to swim. The "sperm-swim" switch is a cellular signal protein called soluble adenylyl cyclase or sAC. The experimental male pill would temporarily block sAC.
• Scientists have been researching the pathway in mice in studies funded by the US National Institutes of Health. They published their findings in the journal Nature Communications.
• Scientists found that a single dose of the drug, called TDI-11861, stunned sperm for roughly three hours, long enough to prevent them from reaching and fertilizing the egg.

What's next?

• The researchers will test on rabbits before moving on to humans.
• The ultimate goal is to create a pill that could be taken before sex to keep the sperm and egg apart. It would not need to be taken consistently, but only before intercourse.
• Professor Allan Pacey, professor of andrology at the University of Sheffield, said of the breakthrough,

"There is a pressing need for an effective, reversible, oral contraceptive for men and although many different approaches have been tested over the years, none has yet reached the market.

and,

"If the trials on mice can be replicated in humans with the same degree of efficacy, then this could well be the male contraceptive approach we have been looking for."