Di weird reasons why male birth control-pills no still dey

Male contraception get long and colourful history.

Di ancient Greek bin come up wit di idea say heating up a man testicles fit reduce dia fertility. Dis bin turn out to dey strangely true as nearly two and a half millennia later, scientists discover say indeed dis na di case.

Di scrotum dey naturally act like air conditioning system for sperm – as e dey hang outside di body and dey use networks of veins to exchange heat, e dey always stay between one and four degrees cooler pass di rest if di body. Some studies don discover say to warm di testicles by few degrees fit reduce di active sperm count, although e no dey cear why.

Di first modern method of male contraception na di hot bath. For 1956, di Swiss Physician, Mathe Voegeli discover say men wey siddon for water wey hot like 46.6C (116F) for 45 minutes everyday for three weeks fit achieve six months’ worth of infertility.

Di heat method no dey recommended by medical professionals. Currently, na only two safe, effective methods of contraception dey for men; condoms wey dey protect against pregnancy 98% of time if e dey used correctly – although some men say dem find am uncomfortable and vasectomy, wey dey more than 99% effective against president but e dey considered permanent.

How scientists don try over the years to discover di best male contraceptive

For 1968, one young man bin visit im psychiatrist because e notice one uncomfortable observation for im body. E bin dey take one melecine wey di name na thioridazine to treat schizophrenia, wen e notice something unusual: im orgasms don "dry".

Nearly 30 years later, di story don become di inspiration for one sensational new idea –dat kain drug go fit form di basis of male contraceptive pill?

Along di way, researchers bin discover anoda drug wit di same ejaculation-suppressing effect, di blood pressure mediation phenoxybenzamine. None of di drug go dey safe enough to give healthy men, but di idea na to find out how dem dey work – then recreate dis mechanism wit anoda thing.

Although a safe, effective male pill go get di potential to finally unburden women of di responsibility for contraception, and prevent millions of unwanted pregnancies every year, some men find di idea of an invisible orgasm distinctly unappealing.

For most men, dem see di so-called "clean sheets" pill as emasculating. Di method later lose di money dem take dey finance am wey make researchers go back di drawing board.

Today, male contraceptive pill no still dey available. Dis week, research for mice bin show a promising new target – one molecular switch wey fit numb sperm for two hours, wey go render im taker temporarily infertile. But though dem don hail di protein as a game-changer, e still get long way to go before e go dey approved for use in humans.

Why male contraception drug still dey rare

A question of ethics

In fact, finding effective drugs no ever be di problem.

Over di last half century, dem don propose plenty possible methods for male birth control, including some wey don make am to clinical trials in humans. However, each one bin eventually meet brick wall – dem don write of even those wey dey safe and effective sake of undesirable side effects.

Plenty male pills don dey rejected on di grounds say dem fit lead to symptoms wey dey very common among di ones wey women take.

Why e dey so difficult to get approval for male contraceptive pills? And di challenges dey more cultural than scientific?

Susan Walker, one associate professor of contraception and reproductive health for Anglia Ruskin University for UK tok say "Plenty very successful trials of male hormonal contraceptive injections na im don dey,"

Walker wey give example of di contraceptive injection, wey dey discovered to be almost 100% effective in suppressing sperm concentrations tok say. "E workextremely well,"

She say but dem stop am sake of di concerns around side effect like mood changes and skins wey pipo like her wey work wit di female contraception no really dey surprised about.

A path to acceptance

However, dem don propose a number of non-hormonal contraceptive options for men wey include one vaccine wey fit target a protein involved in sperm maturation and a kind of temporary vasectomy, reversible inhibition of sperm under guidance (RISUG).

RISUG involve injecting a synthetic polymer into di tube wey dey carry sperm out of di testes – di vas deferens – to block di exit of sperm. E dey originally developed as a way to sterilise water pipes, but dem later adapt am to dey safe inside di human body. E currently dey undergo Phase III clinical trials – di final stage of testing before dem approve di treatment – for India.

However, as wit di clean-sheets contraceptive pill, even non-hormonal contraception fit dey unappealing to some men.

"I think e dey true for my experience of talking to men about this, men dey worried about future fertility and about unknown side effects wey fit only become known years afta using a product," Walker tok. "Dem dey worried about di effect on dia performance, how dem feel about sex."

Funding fit also be issue. For di case of di clean sheets pill, one survey by di Parsemus Foundation – one non-profit wey dey based for di US wey dey support neglected areas of medical research – discover say, while 20% of men say dem no go take am, an equal proportion say dem go do am. Di rest say dem dey undecided. And yet, di therapy lost its funding before di necessary animal and human trials start.