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A hormonal contraceptive for men: how close are we?
1Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Campus, London, United Kingdom. ilpo.huhtaniemi@imperial.ac.uk <ilpo.huhtaniemi@imperial.ac.uk>
Progress in Brain Research
|May 19, 2010
Summary
Hormonal male contraception shows promise by suppressing sperm production, but faces significant biological, practical, and financial hurdles. Overcoming these challenges could lead to a breakthrough in male birth control options.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive endocrinology
- Male reproductive health
- Contraceptive development
Background:
- Limited options exist for male contraception.
- Hormonal methods targeting spermatogenesis are most promising.
- Public and expert opinions on male contraception are divided.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the principles of hormonal male contraception.
- To discuss the results of recent clinical trials.
- To explore future perspectives in the field.
Main Methods:
- Review of hormonal strategies for male contraception.
- Analysis of clinical trial data for testosterone and progestin combinations.
- Discussion of biological, practical, and economic challenges.
Main Results:
- Hormonal methods aim to suppress gonadotropin secretion, reducing testicular androgen production and spermatogenesis.
- Testosterone and progestin combinations are the most promising leads.
- Significant obstacles remain regarding efficacy, side effects, reversibility, cost, and cultural acceptance.
Conclusions:
- Despite challenges, hormonal male contraception has the potential for near-term breakthrough.
- Lack of pharmaceutical industry involvement and funding hinders progress.
- Modest investment could accelerate the availability of male hormonal contraceptives.
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