Birth Control

A non-hormonal, reversible and safe male pill may be in sight, as scientists successfully silence a protein crucial in fertile sperm production. Knocking out this protein temporarily resulted in unviable sperm, without any lasting impacts on fertility.

Contraceptives like the Pill are only effective if you remember to take them. In an effort to integrate into the lives of women more seamlessly, researchers at Georgia Tech have developed contraceptive patches that can be attached to jewelry.

A fascinating new study has for the first time linked a specific genetic variant with the efficacy of hormone-based birth control treatments. The research suggests birth control may be less effective in women found with this particular gene.

​The race is on to develop a male contraceptive drug similar to that of the female birth control pill.​ The results from a Phase 1 study into the safety and efficacy of a new male birth control pill are promising, revealing the prospective drug to be safe and effective.​

Finding a male contraceptive compound that is safe, effective and reversible has been relatively elusive for scientists, but a new study has revealed that the secret to a male birth control pill may lie in a plant extract that has ancient African origins.

For thousands of years humans have been using a vast array of strange folk contraceptive methods. A team at UC Berkeley recently examined two commonly used traditional plant-based folk remedies and discovered a potentially new mechanism that could lead to non-toxic, non-hormonal contraceptives.

Men don’t really have a long-lasting, reversible and convenient contraception option yet, but a new method called Vasalgel could fit the bill. Tests on rhesus monkeys have now shown that it can effectively prevent pregnancy for over a year.

US-based reproductive health company Kindara has now developed Wink, an oral thermometer that works in conjunction with a mobile app to inform women when the time is right – or wrong – to get down to business.

Researchers have discovered that a small molecule compound called JQ1 can produce reversible birth control in mice, thereby showing promise as a lead compound for the development of a reversible male contraceptive.

The Intra Uterine Ball, or IUB, is said to offer advantages over traditional intrauterine devices.

A promising new birth control method for men that's more easily reversible than vasectomy has been developed in India.