Janet Ogundepo If the non-hormonal male birth control pill proves to be 99 per cent effective in preventing pregnancy, as indicated in pre-clinical trials, women who have been affected by the constant use of hormonal contraceptives may finally find relief. This is as researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine’s Centre for Drug Discovery discovered a new pill that can temporarily inhibit a particular protein responsible for fertility in males. This breakthrough, an international news medium, Newsweek, reports could represent a major step forward in making the male “pill” a reality.
Research into a hormone-free male contraceptive pill has been ongoing and clinical trials began in the United Kingdom in 2022. Before this, female contraceptive pills and other birth control methods were well-known and widely used, while male contraception options were limited to condoms. However, recent innovations have expanded male contraceptive options to include spermicides and vasectomies.
According to the researchers, the pill or compound targets the protein, thereby temporarily impeding sperm mobility, adding that normal sperm function resumes after the compound has exited the system. “This drug works by inhibiting the retinoic acid receptor-alpha, RAR-alpha, a pathway crucial for sperm production. Preclinical studies demonstrated that the drug was 99 per cent effective in preventing pregnancies in mice and fully reversible, showing no apparent side effects,” they noted.
However.
