The Pill for Him: A Liberation for Men?

According to The FASEB Journal, one day men could have the type of control over their fertility that women have enjoyed since the 1960s. Scientists have located where and determined how androgenic hormones work in the testis. The hormones control normal sperm production and male fertility. By locating this important hormone production center, scientists may also be able to not only suppress sperm production, but increase the number of healthy sperm for men with low sperm counts and infertility challenges. So far, research has only been conducted on mice, but it looks very promising for the future development of a birth control pill for men.

“This study provides a new opportunity to identify how androgens control sperm production, which could provide new insight for the development of new treatments for male infertility and perhaps new male contraceptives,” said Michelle Welsh, Ph.D., co-author of the study.

This could be the elusive “pill for him” which has been discussed since women started determining their own fertility through hormonal controls. “Not only does this research pinpoint androgenic hormones and their cellular receptors as prime targets for the development of new birth control drugs, but it promises to speed the development of new agents to boost sperm production,” said Gerald Weissman, MD, Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal.

Source: Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology