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Birth control, and particularly birth control pills, has historically been the responsibility of women. However, many men would like more options to control their fertility. Male birth control pills have been discussed for a long time, but past attempts to develop them have hit roadblocks. So, what's the news on birth control pills for males?

Recently scientists shared results from a study that shows promising signs using a brand new approach. These new oral contraceptives for men work to deactivate sperm, without other side effects. Researchers approached the notion of this birth control possibility by exploring some genetic options. 

Let's do a super quick genetics 101 lesson. Everything in our body essentially comes down to our genes, housed in our DNA. Genes code for various proteins and in turn, those proteins determine various cellular functions. One of those many proteins, the Retinoic Acid Receptor alpha gene – or the more fun way to say it: RAR-a – is responsible for the production of sperm. By targeting and knocking out the RARa genetic expression, researchers observed that male mice went sterile. 

The contraceptive was given orally and after four weeks of doses, the subjects were not able to father any pups. But wait, there’s more! Four-to-six weeks after they stopped taking these pills, they were able to father pups again without any problems. This shows promising signs of being able to inhibit sperm development for a time period, but this is also reversible a few weeks after the dosage ends. 

This is also a non-hormonal option, meaning it has absolutely nothing to do with testosterone. During this research, male mice continued to have normal, active relationships with females.

Now, we know what you’re thinking: aren’t humans different from mice? We’re actually not that different, and mice make for a pretty good test subject considering many of our bio-functions are similar. Since mice mature faster and have shorter lifespans, we can observe a wide variety of effects that wouldn’t be possible to study in humans, giving us the green light to shift into human trials.

Stay tuned as more research continues on this ongoing science tale of mice and men … specifically male birth control pills!