Unisex contraceptive pill on the horizon?

Contraceptive pills for women include popular choices such as cerazette, marvelon, yasmin and zoely, all of which slightly differ in their active ingredients and mechanism of action, but all are ultimately designed to prevent the woman from becoming pregnant.

For the male, there is the barrier method of wearing a condom, which some men still find uncomfortable doing, and not much else choice wise. However, could things change in the future?
Remarkably, there may be contraceptive pill on the horizon that could be taken by both men and women, following advancements in the knowledge of sperm biology in the United States.

The new study, funded by the governmental National Institutes of Health, could also lead to the reversal of infertility in thousands of British men after the findings demonstrated how sperm are given a “power boost” to get to the egg.

The scientists involved in the study managed to identify a protein contained in sperm that provides it with sufficient energy it requires to power towards an egg and break into it.

Researchers in the study commented that this ABHD2 protein allows the tail to ‘crack like a whip’ and ‘power kick’ its way into the egg.

With this in mind, by blocking this protein, this could stop the sperm from fertilising the egg.
Dr Stuart Moss, of the National Institutes of Health, said: “Developing new compounds that block ABHD2 ultimately may yield new contraceptive methods that prevent sperm from research the egg.”

University of California, Berkeley researcher Melissa Miller also commented: “What is really cool is that we have an actual target for unisex contraceptive development.”

Therefore theoretically, a contraception pill could be taken by either the male or female, which could let men have a bigger share of the contraceptive responsibility in a relationship.

On the flip side, a pill which boosts the protein could even help infertile couples to finally have children, the journal Science reports.

At the moment, around 80% of male infertility cases cannot be pinpointed to a definitive reason, mainly because doctors are not fully aware how the interactions between sperm and eggs result in infertility. Moreover, the sperm could be the problem in half of all cases of infertile couples.

It was previously challenging to analyse the functions of sperm with conventional laboratory methods due to the fact it is the body’s smallest cell.

However, advancements in technology over the last 5 years led to the new discovery at the University of California, whereby scientists have been able to attach electrodes to the sperm’s tail and record how it reacts to hormones.

This meant that they were able to discover how a large receptor on the sperm tails – a calcium channel referred to as CatSper – is activated by progesterone from the egg.

The scientists however believed that the progesterone wasn’t directly impacting on the calcium channel, but on another receptor, which then activated the calcium channel.

This was found to be true; tests showing that progesterone binds to an enzyme named ABHD2, found in abundance within sperm.

After it connects to the enzyme – on the surface of the sperm – it get rids of a lipid that has been inhibiting the calcium channel. This then allows CatSper to open the gate to calcium ions and thus, sperm activation.

Ms Miller commented that this inhibitor, CatSper, is probably there to stop the sperm from prematurely travelling to the egg and using up their limited supply of energy.

Male contraceptive pill could be on the horizon with latest breakthrough

A major discovery by Australian researchers could finally bring a male contraceptive pill to fruition and give men more options to equip them and their partners against unwanted pregnancies. Currently condoms such as Durex and Skins for men or the oral contraceptive pill for women, Dianette, are just a few of the choices that are already presently available.

The latest developments follow other research conducted earlier this year by American experts who wanted to push through a male contraceptive pill as they said: “The lack of contraceptive alternatives for men is partially responsible for the high rate of unplanned pregnancies and contributes to the ethical, social and financial costs associated with abortions and deliveries to single mothers.”

Scientists at Monash University in Melbourne say that their findings mean that a pill could be produced that actually kills off the ability of sperm to swim efficiently, living them twiddling their thumbs instead of arriving at their unwanted destination! Furthermore, their findings could also shed some more light on potential factors behind male infertility.

In what seems to be common practice for laboratory tests these days, Lead researcher Professor Moira O’Bryan and her team chose mice to be their subjects for analysis. The team devised a mutation in a gene that is named ‘RABL2’. This gene works at transmitting protein fuel to the engine (known as the axoneme) in a sperm’s tail in mice.

This engineered mutation then led to a reduction in the size of sperm tails by 17% of their ‘normal’ size, and a 50% decrease in the production of sperm.

Most interestingly perhaps was that it was found these particular mice with the mutated gene were left infertile and their sperm were prevented from swimming or moving about anywhere.
Professor O’Bryan says, “They weren’t wriggling or going anywhere, they were just twitching. With this mutation, we get motors that don’t work properly. To be fertile, sperm need motility or swimming ability.”

O’Bryan worked together with fellow scientists from the University of Newcastle, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Garvan Institute of Medical Research and the University of Cambridge for the research. The next step now will be crafting a male contraceptive pill that will work to restrict the RABL2 gene instead of changing or damaging it forever.

Professor O’Bryan continued, “The challenge with developing the male pill isn’t rendering the sperm infertile but turning them back on again.”

The biggest hurdle it seems now for the scientists to overcome is the fact RABL2 is also located in other tissues such as those in the brain, kidneys and liver in lower concentrations. Therefore a male contraceptive pill would have to be constructed in a complex way that has an inhibitor specialised for the testes and will not affect other areas of the body.

Perhaps another hurdle to whether or not male contraceptive pills fully take-off, is if women actually trust the man to take it! This is a subject Medical Specialists Pharmacy looked at briefly in our story mentioned earlier. In addition, it is unknown just when a male pill will even be available. Various studies have been conducted in the last few years but it seems nobody has come forth with a definitive date of release. In the meantime, men could simply opt for the tried and test contraceptive method of condoms, which boast a 98% effectiveness rate. For women, the female birth control pill Dianette has an incredible 99% effective at fulfilling its purpose.

At Medical Specialists Pharmacy, men are already spoilt for choice when it comes to their contraceptive needs. In regards to condoms, Durex and Skins in particularly have an impressive range of weird and wonderful condoms to suit his and her preferences. Some condoms are ultra-thin to the extent you can barely feel it, others are designed to have a ‘tingling’ effect for maximum pleasure, whereas there are also even condoms that come in luscious flavours such as chocolate. If all this isn’t enough, a Durex play vibration ring can be used in conjunction with a condom to add to the pleasure!
Make sure to keep checking the Medical Specialists website for further news, developments and the latest products. We are constantly updating our huge product base and in the next few weeks we will also hope to add Marvelon and Yasmin; two additional female oral contraceptive pills that can also help to fight acne.

Discovery of a reproductive gene offers hope for male contraceptive pill

Scientists in Scotland believe the discovery of a male reproductive gene, ‘Katnal1’, could enable the development of a male contraceptive pill that would halt the generating of fertile sperm and not leave any lasting damage. Researchers at Edinburgh University discovered that Katnal1 is responsible for allowing sperm to mature within the testes.  By blocking this key gene, it would result in the male becoming temporarily infertile and scientists believe a male contraceptive pill can now be created that would not result in tiredness, effects on hormones, loss of sex drive, etc. like so many efforts have done previously.

The discovery of the gene came about after scientists were investigating the DNA patterns of male infertile mice after they had experience mutations to their genetic material. After the discovery, scientists probed a little deeper and then found that Katnal1 has control of the network of microscopic tubes that are responsible for providing nutrients in the final stage of sperm development, prior to being released.

Dr Lee Smith, from the Medical Research Council Centre for Reproductive Health at the university, commented on the new findings, “The identification of a gene that controls sperm production in the way Katnal1 does is unique and a significant step forward in our understanding. If we can find a way to target this gene in men, we could potentially develop a male non-hormonal contraceptive. The important thing is that the effects of such a drug would be reversible because Katnal1 only affects sperm cells in the later stages of development, so it would not hinder his overall ability to reproduce.”

Of course there are other excellent forms of birth control that are available right now, and it could be a long period of time before this male contraceptive pill is actually ready and fit for use. At Medical Specialists Pharmacy we offer a wide range of condoms such as the highly popular Durex Performax Intense. This particular condom benefits both partners. It contains a lubricant – benzocaine 5%, which will prolong his climax, whilst the outside of the condom is ribbed and dotted to heighten her orgasm. On top of this we have a huge range of different condoms in our ever-growing chemist shop such as Durex Play Vibrations, Skins Ultra-Thin and many more, all at fantastic prices. For women, we offer the contraceptive pill Dianette from as little as £9.99 per month, which is capable of preventing you from falling pregnant by working in three ways: by preventing an egg being released from your ovaries; by making the fluid (mucus) in your cervix thicker, which makes it more difficult for sperm to enter the womb; and by preventing the lining of your womb thickening enough for an egg to grow in it. Not only is Dianette a contraceptive, it can also be taken by women for combating acne, hirsutism and for the treatment of female hair loss.