Contraceptive pill for men could be a step closer: Minnesota University researchers

Scientists could be a step closer to creating a contraceptive pill for men thanks to researchers at Minnesota University. The researchers announced at the American Chemical Society's yearly meeting that significant progress had been made, as they looked for a product that had no side effects.

Since the female pill was invented 50 years ago, scientists had not found a way to pause fertility for men without huge risks.

Gunda Gerog, the leader of the research team, told The Times, "It would have to be soluble so it could be taken by mouth. It would start working fairly quickly and it wouldn't diminish libido. It would be safe even if taken for decades.

"And because some users would eventually want to have children, its impact on fertility would be reversible, with no lingering ill effects on sperm or embryos."

The researchers took inspiration from a study last year that identified an enzyme used by sperm to get inside the egg.

According to the researchers, they had made small changes to a previous version of the male pill to make it effective over a longer period and easier to take.

According to John Herr, a professor of cell biology who worked on the earlier study, ''Understanding at the molecular level exactly how the sperm is able to bind with and enter the egg, opens opportunities to identify molecules that can disrupt or block the fertilisation event.''

The male hormone testosterone had been used before as it could produce temporary infertility, without affecting libido.

According to Jillian Kyzer, one of the researchers in the team, at certain doses, testosterone caused infertility, but at those doses it did not work for up to 20 per cent of men, and it could cause side-effects, including weight gain and a decrease in 'good' cholesterol.''