Congrats Men!

Now, with the advancement of science and medicine, a new birth control pill is designed for you. Dimethandrolone undecanoate, or DMAU combines the function of the male hormone and the progestin. It is prescribed once a day as the study’s senior investigator, Stephanie Page, M.D., PhD, professor of medicine at the University of Washington stated.

Dr. Page added that men’s preferences shift towards a daily pill rather than taking injections or applying creams directly. Despite the fact that oral forms of a male hormone such as testosterone may provoke hepatitis, DMAU is safe to use. This is because of undecanoate, a long-chain fatty acid, which slows the clearance of oral forms of testosterone from the male body.

The National Institutes of Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development are developing the new male birth control pill and funding this project as well.

The researchers randomly divided 100 men into groups of 20 or less. Some men were given a sugar pill (placebo), while others were given a daily oral dose of DMAU at one of the three chosen doses. DMAU was always consumed with food. Blood tests revealed that at the highest dose, DMAU suppressed production of testosterone and two other hormones — LH and FSH — known to be key to sperm production. But none of the study participants displayed complications that might arise from testosterone deficiency, such as mood changes or disturbances in terms of sexual function. However, all who took DMAU experienced mild weight gain (roughly 3 to 9 pounds), and a mild drop in so-called “good” cholesterol (HDL). No serious side effects were reported.

At the highest dose of DMAU tested, 400 mg, subjects showed “marked suppression” of levels of their testosterone and two hormones required for sperm production. The low levels, Page said, are consistent with effective male contraception shown in longer-term studies.

Currently, the only reversible male contraceptive is the condom, which is not the most reliable method of birth control, she pointed out.

The study results were presented recently in Chicago at a meeting of the Endocrine Society. Research released at meetings is generally considered preliminary until peer-reviewed for publication in a medical journal.