"The Pill" for men to begin trials soon.

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In new preliminary research, a team says they’ve developed a non-hormonal form of male birth control, one that kept lab mice sterile for four to six weeks with seemingly no side effects.  Early human trials of the pill are expected to begin by the end of the year.  The proposed contraceptive is the product of researchers at the University of Minnesota, who say it works by targeting how our bodies interact with vitamin A, known to be essential to fertility in mammals.  Diets deficient in vitamin A have been linked to sterility, for instance.  After a lengthy search, they found an experimental compound that blocks a protein responsible for binding to a form of vitamin A (retinoic acid) in our cells, known as retinoic acid receptor alpha (RAR-α).  RAR-α is one of three proteins with a similar function, and the hope is that its selective blocking is enough to induce long-lasting but reversible sterility while causing little to no off-target effects elsewhere.

So far, the compound -- dubbed GPHR-529 -- seems to work as intended.  In new data presented Wednesday at the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society, the team found that male mice dosed with the treatment for four weeks consistently experienced a sharp drop in sperm count and became sterile.  Overall, GPHR-529 was estimated to be 99% effective in preventing pregnancy, with no noticeable side effects.  And about four to six weeks after they stopped taking it, the male mice were no longer sterile.  Other research of theirs in animals has similarly shown that inhibiting RAR-α should be safe and effective at inducing temporary male sterility.

Source:  This Gizmodo Article 

I wonder how many men will take it versus how many men will only claim they have taken it.

The catch-phrase "It's okay; I'm on 'The Pill'" is not just for women any more . . .

I believe the pill has to go through at least 3 human trial phases, and these phases must have at least tens of thousands of subjects.

Double-blind, peer-reviewed, etc.

I have seen this news pop up on Facebook already. The comments sections is full of debate of course. The most effective birth control for men really is a vasectomy and I don't think that will have any drastic impact on their mental or physical health.

What kind of side effects did birth control pills have on women anyway?

I'm not sure if you're joking, so forgive me if you are and I'm giving a serious answer here, but it varies by the formulation and individual woman. There can be both psychiatric (depression, anxiety, panic attacks, etc.) and physical side effects that can range from relatively mild (like headaches, nausea, hair loss or weight gain) to severe (like strokes or pulmonary embolisms).

The serious side effects, like blood clots, are statistically far less likely to occur while taking the pill than during pregnancy, though. But, still, while many women take the pill safely for both contraceptive and non-contraceptive reasons, some women have also lost their lives from taking oral contraceptives. And, non-hormonal methods have their own drawbacks. For example, the copper IUD can cause anemia from heavy bleeding or severe pelvic pain.

So, I totally support the idea of men sharing some of the burden associated with contraception. At least, in principal, anyway. In all honesty, the thought of relying on a partner to take on this responsibility sort of scares the s@$t out of me.

I was being serious. I had to figure there was no way birth control pills would not come without some consequences. My wife and I abstained until marriage. No need for contraceptives and no potentially damaging side effects to worry about from using them. Can't say the same for those who want to jump each other's bones before marriage though.

I’m not gonna take it because I am not sexually active

I think it's good if it works but I still reckon it's up to women to take the pill as it would be them left holding the baby potentially.

I'm not sure if many men who aren't in relationships would take it to be honest. But I'm not a man so what do I know.

I feel like no matter what options are available, women will be more motivated than men to take birth controls simply because mammalian reproductive physiology means that the negative consequences of unintended reproduction generally affect women a lot more severely.

Birth control pills, most definitely, increase the risk of stroke in women.

Jumping in to say that of course it varies from woman to woman. I have been using the 'mini pill' for just over a year with zero side effects. It has been so helpful in alleviating debilitating period symptoms and cramps.

I had really bad side effects from the Pill. IUDs are better for me but insertion and removal aren’t pleasant.

Anyway, I think that guys will be just as likely to “forget” if the side effects are similar. Guys aren’t always thrilled about wearing condoms, for instance, and forget to buy them or use them, not that remembering is solely his responsibility.

You could make Mrs Palmer pregnant, though.

I think people have a point.
What woman would take the risk of the guy doing the right thing?

I would trust my boyfriend to do the right thing. But maybe you meant with guys they don't know well.

Yep.
One night stand context.

Well The only woman I plan on having relations with will be the woman I marry.I will never fornicate.

Last edited by Texasmoneyman300 on 27 May 2022, 12:51 am, edited 1 time in total.

I am never going to have relations with a girlfriend.I will only have relations after she becomes my wife.