Male Contraceptives

What are male contraceptive techniques available?

Indeed many male contraceptives, as condom and vas occlusion methods, are used by men to avoid diseases and to reach birth control. Nowadays, scientists are searching for a new contraceptive: the male pill. This new solution will actually be our main subject.

Condoms

Condom is the contraceptive the most used by men. It is a thin device usually made of latex or plastic worn on penis during sexual relations. Condoms are also used by women.

For more informations:condoms

Vas occlusion methods

Vas occlusion,also called vasectomy, is a simple surgical procedure in which the tubes (vas deferens) that deliver the sperm from the testes are cut and close off. This short surgery usually causes few complications and doesn't change anything in sexual functions.

For more informations : sterilization

Pharmaceutical methods

A lot of potential male contraceptive drugs are available. Some of them are accepted by the government for treatment of other diseases whereas others still developing.

• Nifedipine: This drug is an hypertension and migraine medication taken as a daily pill. It is manufactured by six major pharmaceutical companies

• the dry pill: It changes the way the smooth muscles of the vasa deferentia have during an ejaculation and it disturbs the transport of sperm. Indeed, the vasa deferentia have two different types of smooth muscle: circular muscle fibers and longitudinal muscle fibers. Usually, the two muscles work together to move sperm toward the urethra. But if pieces of vasa deferentia have been exposed to phenoxybenzamine or thioridazine in the lab, the longitudinal smooth muscle fibers will contract. (see annexe ..)

• the immunocontraceptive: it is a contraceptive vaccine and still developing in India, Europe and the US. It already exists for women.

• Injection and patches:

A future hormonal method: the male pill

It has been easier to find female pill because of the differences in male and female anatomy: women release one egg a month during a regular process of ovulation contrarly to men that release about 120 million sperm with each ejaculation. That’s why it is harder to find a succesfull contraceptive method for men that for women

Why are we always searching for new male contraceptive methods?

Nowadays both men and women want that men participate as much as women in family planning. That's why we are searching new male contraceptives. One of the main reason is that abortion rates still high. Indeed a contraceptive 100% efficient doesn’t exist so accidents are always occurring (more than 20% of pregnancies end in abortion each year in USA). Moreover, ideal contraceptive doesn’t exist either. But the problem is that as the world is developing, people’s needs become more and more important. However, these kind of reasearches are long and difficult to reach and many of them are revealed unsuccessful.