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There are more than 20 FDA-approved ways to prevent pregnancy, but only two of them are designated specifically for men, leaving the responsibility largely on women
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While no contraception method is 100% foolproof, men's two choices include vasectomies, which are most often permanent, or condoms
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While condoms have a 99% effectiveness rate in clinical settings, when used in the real world, they're only effective about 87% of the time
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But now a new drug for men is showing promise by moving on to clinical trials
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The oral contraceptive, known as YCT-529, was developed in a joint effort between the University of Minnesota, Columbia University, and Your Choice Therapeutics
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It's a hormone-free pill, which scientists say works by stopping sperm production, but does not affect testosterone levels, meaning libido is not impacted
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The drug has already been tested in mice and was found to be 99% effective within four weeks of use
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which is on par with the efficacy of female birth control pills
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And in non-human primates, the drugs lowered sperm counts within two weeks of starting the drug
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And both mice and non-human primates fully regained fertility a few weeks after stopping the drug
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with no side effects reported. This is the only birth control pill researchers are testing in men
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and experts hope it will become available this decade. To stay up to date on all the latest medical advances
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download the Straight Arrow News app or go to san.com
