Development of Novel Male Contraceptives


Abstract

Unintended pregnancy is surprisingly common, accounting for 40-50% of pregnancies worldwide. Contraception is the most effective means of preventing unintended pregnancy. Seventy percent of all contraceptives are used by women; however, some women are unable to use contraceptives due to health conditions or side effects. Many men wish to take a more active role family planning, but currently have only two effective male contraceptive options, condoms and vasectomy. Therefore, work to develop novel male contraceptives analogous to popular female methods, such as daily pills or long-acting shots and implants, is underway. This paper will briefly discuss the pros and cons of condoms and vasectomies, and then review the research into novel methods of male contraception.

Conflict of interest statement

The author declared no competing interests for this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The normal function of the male hypothalamic‐pituitary‐testicular axis (left). Green arrows stimulatory, red arrows inhibitory. Male hormonal contraceptives suppress secretion of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) from the pituitary leading to a cessation of spermatogenesis (right).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Androgens used in trials of male hormonal contraception: (a) testosterone enanthate, (b) testosterone undecanoate.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Progestins used in trials of male hormonal contraception: (a) levonorgestrel, (b) norethisterone enthanthate.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Nonhormonal male contraceptives (a) Gossypol, (b) H2‐gamendazole, (c) JQ‐1, (d) Win 18,446.
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