What if, before each sexual intercourse, men took a pill that blocked their sperm for a few hours before giving them their freedom? Performed on mice, a study published on Tuesday opens this track still far from becoming reality.
A molecule has managed “to reduce male fertility quickly and temporarily in mice”, summarizes a press release from the journal NatureCommunications in which this work was published.
Male contraception is currently reduced to the use of condoms and the possibility of undergoing a vasectomy, the effects of which may be irreversible.
The male pill has remained an unattainable goal for decades, for complex reasons that stem from a lack of interest from the pharmaceutical industry, as well as real physiological challenges to be overcome.
However, several projects have obtained interesting results after testing in humans. But they still need to be confirmed on larger samples.
The study published on Tuesday is at a much earlier stage since it was carried out on mice. Nevertheless, it has the advantage of opening a new track since it is a “one-time” contraceptive and not, like the female pill, a treatment to be taken over time to ensure its effect.
The molecule studied blocks the action of an enzyme, soluble adenylate cyclase, which plays a central role in sperm motility. They are therefore blocked for several hours.
In the mice studied, the molecule prevented all pregnancies when intercourse took place within two hours after administration. On the other hand, it no longer had any effect 24 hours later, without any side effects being reported.
Still, it is impossible to know, as it stands, if this treatment would work in the same way in humans. The researchers plan to start trials within three years.
“I remain a little skeptical that this method will one day be marketed,” admitted British researcher Susan Walker, a specialist in contraception, who did not participate in the study.
However, if Mme Walker remains cautious in view of the failure of many attempts, she recognizes a “striking advantage” to this potential treatment, the promise of immediate effectiveness.
In real life, she notes, this might reassure a woman who finds her partner taking this pill in front of her.