London - A contraceptive pill for men is a step closer after scientists identified a protein that is key to male fertility.
Without it, sex is possible but pregnancy is not. The team behind the breakthrough believe it could be the key to the male pill.
While oral contraceptives for women have been on offer for more than 50 years, men’s only options are condoms and vasectomies.
A male pill would liberate women from the burden of family planning, as well as meaning they were not exposed to the hormones in oral contraceptives.
The research, in journal Science, could provide insight into causes of male infertility. However, it remains to be seen whether women would trust men to take the pill.
The scientists at Osaka University, Japan, found a protein called calcineurin is vital for sperm to swim properly and break their way into the egg. Tests found male mice lacking the protein – which humans also have – could mate but females did not become pregnant.
Professor Masahito Ikawa said: “The development of a drug that specifically inhibits sperm calcineurin may be the long sought-after reversible male contraceptive that works in a short time-span. But would women trust men to take it? Perhaps not. Don’t make love with a person you cannot trust.”
As the drug would not be based on hormones, it should not interfere with the man’s sex drive. Professor Mike Wyllie, of reproductive health company Repros, said: “Although a drug based on the approach is many years off, this could represent a viable approach to male contraception based on a substantial reduction in sperm function.”
Daily Mail