At least safe
Eva-Lilit Tsvetkova, "Endonovosti"
There seems to be an uneven responsibility for preventing unplanned pregnancy. As if it all falls on the shoulders of a woman. Most contraceptives exist for people with ovaries, not testicles. And although no one has canceled male condoms and vasectomy, there are people who sabotage their use.
For a long time, research has been conducted on so-called "male" contraceptives that would suppress the synthesis of sperm. And at the ENDO 2022 Congress, the results of the phase 1 study of oral male contraceptives were presented. The essence of their action is the suppression of testosterone, sufficient to stop spermatogenesis, but not causing hypogonadism (manifestations of insufficiency of sex hormones).
Currently, two similar tablets are in development – dimethandrol undecanoate (DMAU) and 11b-methyl-19-nortestosterone-17b-dodecyl carbonate (11b-MNTDC).
They are taken once a day orally, individually or in combination. At the moment, they have shown good tolerability and effectiveness, but of course there is still a lot of research ahead.
Mechanism of action
These are pro-drugs (i.e. their metabolites formed in the body are active) with androgenic and progestogenic effects. Due to their testosterone-like structure, they suppress the synthesis of gonadotropin on the principle of negative feedback, which reduces the synthesis of their testosterone. Reduced testosterone levels inhibit spermatogenesis. It takes about three months from the start of taking pills to reducing the number of spermatozoa to a safe one. Then, with daily intake, the contraceptive effect is maintained.
This option of contraception is reversible, unlike vasectomy (although it can also be reversible, but the exact frequency is unknown).
It is not yet known what effects of testosterone suppression will manifest themselves with prolonged use of these drugs. This may be a decrease in libido, for example. During the study (28 days), no side effects were registered.
While everything is very raw and it's definitely too early to talk about mass use, but we need various and convenient methods of male contraception. According to estimates, its use can reduce up to 40% of unwanted pregnancies in the world. And these pills look promising.
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