Conference Reveals Promising Options for Male Contraception

The wave of the future may be closer than you think, at least where contraception is concerned. Researchers at the "Future of Male Contraception" unveiled promising new methods Friday that may have men kicking the condom to the curb.

While traditionally men have had limited options in contraception, the findings presented at the conference, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, suggest that may change in the near future. Researchers from Columbia University, the University of Washington, and Shepherd Medical Company presented a variety of methods, each with encouraging findings.

Columbia researchers offered a drug that uses vitamin A's role in fertility as a means of contraception. Avoiding vitamin A alone would cause men to lose fertility, but it also causes illness. Luckily, Dr. Debra Wolgemoth and her team discovered a previously abandoned drug that interferes with vitamin A receptors in the testes. This feature, which caused a pharmaceutical company to shun the drug initially, makes it effective in the fight against fertility.

Lab tests in mice were successful and caused no harmful side effects. Based on this data and earlier findings, Dr. Wolgemoth expressed confidence in the future of the drug. "The testis is extremely sensitive to the drug," she said. "We're optimistic that there would be no adverse side effects in humans as well."

The method presented by University of Washington researchers also took advantage of existing drugs to provide a new solution. Their efforts combined a shot of DepoProvera, a female contraceptive, with a topical testosterone gel. Experiment participants were given a shot every three months and rubbed on the gel daily. The results were quite impressive, as sperm was knocked out effectively in 90 percent of the men. However, the inconvenience of the treatment may harm its viability.

Researchers from Shepherd Medical Company offered a drug free method that is a sort of reversible vasectomy. In this method, a set of plugs dubbed the "Intra Vas Device" or "IVD" blocks sperm from flowing through the vas deferens. The advantage here is that fertility can be easily restored by removing the plugs. The company's findings were encouraging as well: 92 percent of the men tested had little to no sperm after a six month period. The reversibility and effectiveness of the IVD suggest a promising future.

"We could have something like the IVD on the market in four to five years if we make an all-out effort with funding and focus," said Elaine Lissner, director of the Male Contraception Information Project. She sees the flaws of current contraceptive methods as keys to future success.

"Vasectomy is permanent, and condoms are not foolproof. A reversible, reliable long-term method would meet a big need."

The need is bigger than many realize. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, nearly one-third of the 6.4 million pregnancies in the United States were unwanted. Approximately 1.3 million of these ended in abortion. Lissner acknowledged that reliable male contraception could have a dramatic effect in other countries as well.

"In wealthier countries, a new contraceptive would improve the quality of life," she said. "But in developing countries, an affordable, reliable contraceptive would actually save lives."

The exact number of lives that could be saved is unclear, but it is undoubtedly substantial. In Ethiopia, one in 14 pregnancies results in maternal death. And according to a study by UNICEF and the World Health Organization, even women in South-central Asia face a one in 46 lifetime risk of maternal death.

With such a dire need for reliable contraceptives, the only thing remaining, said Lissner, is encouragement.

"Pharmaceutical companies have no incentive to develop a cheap long-lasting method, and we can't expect them to take the lead. Men will get one if, and only if, they demand it of their governments."

SOURCES:

"Of mice and men: new male contraceptives successful in rodents and humans," Male Contraception Information Project"One-third of pregnancies in the United States are unwanted," Women's Health News

"Maternal Mortality in 2000: Estimates developed by WHO, UNICEF, UNPA," World Health Organization

Mark Lacey, "For Africa's Poor, Pregnancy Is Often Life Threatening," The New York Times

Press Resources, Male Contraception Information Project