Male birth control pills pass the first human safety trial

Men may end up having a chance to sit on the swimmer.

The first male birth control pill has just cleared its first human safety test, which raises hope that it will soon open the door to a new era of contraception.

The drug (YCT-529) is currently participating in larger clinical trials, and experts hope it will start to be available at the end of the decade. Here’s everything you need for this potential pregnancy-changing game.

What is YCT-529?

Unlike traditional birth control pills that destroy hormones, this experimental pill temporarily stops sperm production without affecting testosterone levels.

It works by blocking a protein called retinoic acid receptor alpha, which plays a key role in sperm making.

The best part: Early evidence shows that it is completely reversible.

Can medicine work?

In tests in male mice, YCT-529 dramatically reduced sperm production, resulting in reversible infertility in just four weeks.

When treated for males who mate with females, the drug is 99% effective in preventing pregnancy.

Similar results were seen in male nonhuman primates, whose sperm counts decreased within two weeks after initiating treatment.

It is worth noting that the two animals fully recovered their fertility after stopping the drug, the mice recovered within six weeks and the primates recovered within 10 to 15 weeks.

No side effects were reported in both groups.

Safe for humans?

So far, so good.

The first human trial to test the drug involved 32 to 59 healthy men, all of whom had previously undergone vasectomy that cuts and blocks the tubes carrying sperm from the testicles to prevent pregnancy.

This additional precaution is necessary because non-hormonal male birth control pills have never been tested in humans before. Researchers want to avoid any risk that permanently affects fertility in case participants have fathers and children later on, Nadja Mannowetz, co-founder and chief scientific officer of YourChoice Therapeutics, told Scientific American.

The goal is not to test effectiveness, she explained, but to see if the drug is well tolerated and to measure how it accumulates in the body.

After testing multiple doses, the researchers found no changes in any side effects, including heart rate, hormone levels, inflammation, sexual function or mood.

This is worth noting because hormone contraceptives have been associated with side effects such as mood swings, loss of libido, weight gain and acne.

Mannowetz noted that at various doses, scientists also “see good and fast bioavailability”, meaning the drug remains active in the body without breaking too quickly.

Why do we need male birth control pills?

“Research and investigation continue to show that men want to share the burden of preventing pregnancy with their partners,” Akash Bakshi, CEO of Yourchoice Therapeutics, said in a statement. “But they only have one non-permanent contraceptive measure – condoms – for 170 years.”

Nationally, the rate of unexpected pregnancy is close to 50%. Although female birth control pills offer a variety of options – including pills, implants, injections, and devices, vasectomy remains the only reversible method of male contraception approved by federal regulators.

However, the success of the vasectomy reversal procedure varies from person to person, and the longer the time since the procedure, the higher the success rate.

Despite the condoms, studies show that men are increasingly using them.

Clinical trials are currently under development and ongoing, and some promising reversible male contraceptive candidates are under development and clinical trials, but most rely on hormone methods that have higher risk of side effects.

“Safe and effective male medicine will provide couples with more options,” said Gunda Georg, a chemist and pharmacist at the University of Minnesota.

He continued: “This will allow for more equitable responsibility for family planning and provide reproductive autonomy to men.”

What’s next for YCT-529?

Now, the drug is being tested in a large trial, with more than 50 men suffering from vasectomy or who decide to quit their father.

Participants will take different doses for 28 and 90 days a day, while researchers monitor safety and see how well they turn off sperm production.

The trial is expected to end in mid-2026 – if all goes well, the first male birth control pill may be just a few years away from hitting the medicine cabinet.