Current Options for Male Birth Control Pills
Currently, there are no FDA-approved male birth control pills available on the market. The only contraceptive options currently available to men are condoms and vasectomy 1.
Available Male Contraceptive Methods
Condoms: Male condoms are a barrier method of contraception with a typical-use failure rate of 18% and perfect-use failure rate of 2% 2. Condoms have the added benefit of STI protection 2.
Vasectomy (Male Sterilization): A permanent surgical procedure with a typical-use failure rate of 0.15% and perfect-use failure rate of 0.10% 2. Vasectomy is performed in an outpatient setting and is intended to be irreversible 2.
Male Contraceptive Methods Under Development
Hormonal Methods: Two hormonal male contraceptive methods are currently in Phase II clinical trials 3:
- Transdermal segesterone acetate (Nestorone) plus testosterone gel - large-scale international trial with over 460 couples enrolled, estimated completion in late 2024 3.
- Dimethandrolone undecanoate - undergoing clinical trials focusing on safety, pharmacodynamics, and suppression of spermatogenesis, with estimated completion in December 2024 3.
Non-Hormonal Methods: Several non-hormonal approaches are in preclinical stages of development 3, 1.
Challenges in Male Contraceptive Development
Development of male contraceptives requires decades of research, meticulous work, and significant financial investment 3.
Essential factors for successful male contraceptive methods include reversibility, safety, persistence, minimal invasiveness, promptness, and suppression of anti-sperm antibody formation 1.
Historical limitations to development have included social, financial, and physiological challenges 4.
Comparison with Female Contraceptive Options
Unlike women, who have multiple contraceptive options including various hormonal methods (pills, patches, rings, injections), IUDs, and barrier methods 2, men currently have only two practical options: condoms and vasectomy 3, 1.
Future Outlook
Despite the current limited options, research in male contraception has made significant advances in understanding the male reproductive system's feedback mechanisms and physiology 4. With several promising candidates in development, there is hope that safe, effective, and reversible contraceptive options will become available to men in the coming years 3, 1.