Boston, MA – In the realm of reproductive health, the development of male birth control has been a long-standing goal. Recently, promising results have emerged from a study on a combination hormonal topical gel that effectively suppresses sperm production in a shorter timeframe compared to other experimental products. The preliminary findings of this study were presented at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting held in Boston.
The study, a Phase 2b trial, involved 222 men who underwent at least three weeks of daily treatment with a gel containing segesterone acetate and testosterone. This compound was created by the Population Council, in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health, both organizations working to advance reproductive health.
During the trial, researchers conducted sperm count tests every four weeks to assess the effectiveness of sperm suppression. The goal was to achieve a sperm count of 1 million or fewer per milliliter for viable contraception. Typically, a normal sperm count ranges between 15 million to 200 million sperm per milliliter of semen. By Week 15 of the trial, 86 percent of participants had reached the target threshold, with sperm production commonly being suppressed by the eighth week of treatment.
Diana Blithe, Chief of the Contraceptive Development Program at the National Institutes of Health, hailed the findings as a significant milestone. She emphasized that male contraception is not just a women’s issue but a crucial component of men’s health as well.
Blithe noted that female participants who were part of the clinical trials with their partners expressed relief upon being able to discontinue hormonal birth control for the study’s duration. Many women face challenges with various contraceptive methods, and the experience shared by participants in this study shed light on the impact of male contraception on their lives.
Currently, the only effective forms of birth control for men on the market are vasectomies, which are not easily reversible, and condoms, which are not widely accepted. This highlights the importance of ongoing research into alternative male contraceptive methods, such as the promising hormonal gel being studied in this trial.