Uploaded February 2020 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Subscribe for more awesome biomedical research: bit.ly/2SRMqhC
Roughly 60 years ago, the first birth control pill was approved in the United States. Currently over 100 million women use the pill worldwide. Have you ever wondered why there is no pill for men?
Let's start by discussing the female birth control pill. The birth control pill is based on the administration of sex hormones (progestin and estrogen). Through the administration of these sex hormones, the menstrual cycle is interrupted and, as a result, no eggs can be matured. Since there are no natural mechanisms in men comparable to pregnancy in women, it is more difficult to lower sperm production in a reversible manner (male birth control pill).
Nonetheless, scientists are currently developing a male birth control pill. In 2012, a gel was tested which contained testosterone and nesterone. By rising the levels of testosterone and nesterone in the blood, the brain shuts down further testosterone and sperm production in the testes. During the study in 2012, men rubbed the male hormone containing gel on their shoulders for a longer period of time. And, surprisingly, this male birth control gel seemed to be quite effective as 89% of all participants showed lower levels of sperm production. Right now, there is also a clinical trial in which the male birth control gel is applied for over a year.
Alternatively to the usage of male birth control gels, other studies focused on the injection of hormones or the development of a male birth control pill. The injection of hormones lowered sperm production suppressed in a clinical phase 2 trial. Lastly, the male birth control pill is also being tested. In a clinical trial, 82 men between the ages of 18 and 50 were either given the male birth control pill or a placebo three times a day over the period of a month. Those men who had received the male birth control showed a significant decrease in testosterone levels. Let’s see if the male birth control pill turns out to be a robust birth control method or not.
For your further research:
Wang, Christina, Mario PR Festin, and Ronald S. Swerdloff. "Male hormonal contraception: where are we now?." Current obstetrics and gynecology reports 5.1 (2016): 38-47.
Ilani, Niloufar, et al. "A new combination of testosterone and nestorone transdermal gels for male hormonal contraception." The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 97.10 (2012): 3476-3486.
Thirumalai, Arthi, et al. "Effects of 28 days of oral Dimethandrolone Undecanoate in healthy men: a prototype male pill." The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 104.2 (2019): 423-432.
Behre, Hermann M., et al. "Efficacy and safety of an injectable combination hormonal contraceptive for men." The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 101.12 (2016): 4779-4788.
clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03452111
Music:
Intro:
Light Sting by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: incompetech.com
Transitions:
Light Thought var 3 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: incompetech.com
About Clemens Steinek:
CLEMENS STEINEK is a postgraduate student/youtuber (LifeLabLearner) who is currently conducting stem cell research in Germany.
Subscribe for more awesome biomedical research: bit.ly/2SRMqhC
Roughly 60 years ago, the first birth control pill was approved in the United States. Currently over 100 million women use the pill worldwide. Have you ever wondered why there is no pill for men?
Let's start by discussing the female birth control pill. The birth control pill is based on the administration of sex hormones (progestin and estrogen). Through the administration of these sex hormones, the menstrual cycle is interrupted and, as a result, no eggs can be matured. Since there are no natural mechanisms in men comparable to pregnancy in women, it is more difficult to lower sperm production in a reversible manner (male birth control pill).
Nonetheless, scientists are currently developing a male birth control pill. In 2012, a gel was tested which contained testosterone and nesterone. By rising the levels of testosterone and nesterone in the blood, the brain shuts down further testosterone and sperm production in the testes. During the study in 2012, men rubbed the male hormone containing gel on their shoulders for a longer period of time. And, surprisingly, this male birth control gel seemed to be quite effective as 89% of all participants showed lower levels of sperm production. Right now, there is also a clinical trial in which the male birth control gel is applied for over a year.
Alternatively to the usage of male birth control gels, other studies focused on the injection of hormones or the development of a male birth control pill. The injection of hormones lowered sperm production suppressed in a clinical phase 2 trial. Lastly, the male birth control pill is also being tested. In a clinical trial, 82 men between the ages of 18 and 50 were either given the male birth control pill or a placebo three times a day over the period of a month. Those men who had received the male birth control showed a significant decrease in testosterone levels. Let’s see if the male birth control pill turns out to be a robust birth control method or not.
For your further research:
Wang, Christina, Mario PR Festin, and Ronald S. Swerdloff. "Male hormonal contraception: where are we now?." Current obstetrics and gynecology reports 5.1 (2016): 38-47.
Ilani, Niloufar, et al. "A new combination of testosterone and nestorone transdermal gels for male hormonal contraception." The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 97.10 (2012): 3476-3486.
Thirumalai, Arthi, et al. "Effects of 28 days of oral Dimethandrolone Undecanoate in healthy men: a prototype male pill." The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 104.2 (2019): 423-432.
Behre, Hermann M., et al. "Efficacy and safety of an injectable combination hormonal contraceptive for men." The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 101.12 (2016): 4779-4788.
clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03452111
Music:
Intro:
Light Sting by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: incompetech.com
Transitions:
Light Thought var 3 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: incompetech.com
About Clemens Steinek:
CLEMENS STEINEK is a postgraduate student/youtuber (LifeLabLearner) who is currently conducting stem cell research in Germany.
