Male contraceptive Wikipedia

This is particularly compelling, since it has been estimated that a mere 10% uptake of new male contraceptive methods could avert nearly 40% of unintended pregnancies in Nigeria. These approaches work by blocking functions that mature sperm need in order to reach and fertilize an egg in the female reproductive tract, such as motility, capacitation, semen liquification, or fertilization. While a vasectomy excises, or removes, a piece of each vas deferens and occludes the remaining open ends of the duct, vas-occlusive methods aim to block the duct while leaving it intact. It provides a contraceptive effect through physical blockage of the vas deferens, the duct connecting the epididymis to the urethra. These approaches work by either physically or chemically preventing the emission of sperm during ejaculation, and are likely to be effective on-demand.
While family planning involves both partners, male contraception options are limited, leaving women to take on most of the responsibility. Modern birth control gives couples the ability to make informed decisions about the size and timing of their families. Join our newsletter for exciting milestone updates from NEXT Life Sciences and for information about joining our clinical trials as they begin. The mission of NEXT Life Sciences is to design and develop such a male birth control option, which we’ve named Plan A™. The current options for contraception and family planning focus mostly on female fertility, burdening women with a majority of the responsibility for reproductive planning. Research is being done on male birth control options such as a daily pill, an injected nonhormonal gel, and a topical hormonal gel.
A vasectomy involves cutting two tubes called the vas deferens – the pathways that sperm travel through. It can be difficult or inconvenient for women to get hold of birth control, but attending your GP or contraception clinic isn't your only option. Currently there are are only two contraceptive options for men, but many more for women. As we’ve talked about, most of these new types of male birth control are very much in the testing phase, so it’s hard to say what the potential side effects will be. A vasectomy reversal usually has to be privately funded.
Clinical studies evaluating the potential for tight scrotal supports as a practical male contraceptive method (153, 154) showed a reversible decrease in sperm output but of inadequate magnitude for reliable contraception. Subsequently, the occluding hydrogel can be cleared in vivo by non-invasive application of ultrasound that generates reactive oxygen species in the hydrogel causing cleavage of the thioketal and recanalizing the vas deferens. The injection solution, comprising sodium alginate conjugated with thioketal and including titanium dioxide and calcium chloride, transforms after injection into the vas deferens into an occluding hydrogel. In six men, the injections failed to be delivered, but in the remainder, 110 achieved azoospermia within 1 month and 23 achieved azoospermia 3 to 6 months after the procedure. A hydrophilic gel, composed of co-polymer of styrene and maleic anhydride delivered in dimethyl sulfoxide, forms a charged spermicidal biopolymer when injected into the vas deferens that is stable but potentially removable. Since vasectomy reversal is neither cheap nor widely available, more reversible vasa occlusion methods are needed (136).
Initial studies have shown that male birth control pills can reduce sperm count to levels that make pregnancy unlikely. While women have long had access to a variety of contraceptive methods, there has been a lack of similar options for men. The withdrawal method, also known as “pulling out,” is a non-hormonal method where the man removes his penis from the vagina before ejaculation.
A male birth control pill, which shuts down sperm production, is about to enter phase two clinical studies. A pill, a gel, and a nonsurgical vasectomy are making their way through clinical trials. But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only 5% of men regret getting a vasectomy and 6% of women regret their partner’s vasectomy. Vasectomy should be considered permanent contraception, though most cases can be reversed by reconnecting the cut ends of the vas deferens. Many studies have shown that there is no increased risk of prostate cancer or genitourinary conditions after vasectomy. You will continue to produce semen at climax, but the sperm that fertilize your partner’s egg at conception will remain inside your testicles, where your body will reabsorb them.
U.S. and global surveys have found that men are willing to use contraception, said gynecologist Dr. Brian Nguyen, one of the investigators on the gel clinical trials. Next Life’s approach, called Plan A, or Vasalgel, also involves blocking the vas deferens with a gel-like injection. In January, the company reported that among 25 clinical trial participants, the approach resulted in a 99.8% to 100% reduction in the number of motile sperm within 30 days of the procedure, Eisenfrats said.
No male birth control pill is currently available. Currently, the only male birth control options are condoms and vasectomy. Just as women have, men will gravitate toward different forms of birth control once enough options are available. It’s not unusual for trans men and trans women to face discrimination in healthcare settings. Permanent birth control for men of pharmaceutical companies in the early 2000s didn’t want to get involved with new birth control methods because they were concerned about litigation.
However, interference with ejaculation is unlikely to be an acceptable form of male contraception. Post-testicular inhibition of purinergic and adrenergic receptors in the vas deferens to inhibit sperm movement through the ejaculatory ducts are feasible (205, 206), and a series of these receptor antagonists have been developed (207). Numerous proteins identified as specifically or uniquely expressed in the epididymis provide additional opportunities for development of novel non-hormonal male contraceptive targets ( ). Other discoveries of molecules with specific expression in sperm and contributions to sperm development and/or fertilizing ability may provide clues to novel leads for chemical non-hormonal male contraceptive drug development.

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Pub: 23 May 2026 21:27 UTC

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