14 DAY TRIAL // Although we have to wait a few years more for a male contraceptive, a new study shows that the effects of this pill may be reversible within a few months of discontinuing treatment.
Contraceptives for men are now limited to condoms, vasectomy and withdrawal, methods not acceptable by many because they are unreliable or not easily reversible. Researchers looked at data from 1,500 men who had taken part in tests of some form of hormonal contraception.
Men needed an average of 3 to 4 months to recover full fertility, according to the results. Those who had good rates of recovery were older men, of Asian origin and whose treatment lasted for a short time. Experts say the research offers men reassurance that their fertility can be restored.
The 3rd phase of the male contraceptive study in China and Europe involves androgen and androgen-progestin treatment. "Men who use androgen-progestin male contraceptive methods can all expect that their sperm output will return back to levels consistent with normal fertility. This means that these hormonal methods are reversible," said Dr. Peter Y. Liu, of the University of Sydney, in Australia.
These male hormonal contraceptives will be given by injection or a subcutaneous implant, the doctor stated. "It's important that research continues to provide a range of options for both men and women in order that good confident choices can be made," Toni Belfield concluded, from the Family Planning Association.