Contraception

Contraceptives like the pill may be effective, but messing with hormones has a range of unpleasant side effects. Now researchers are experimenting with a new non-hormonal contraceptive based on antibodies, which stops sperm swimming through mucus.

When it comes to contraceptives, men typically have to remember to use a condom, or get a difficult-to-reverse vasectomy. There may soon be a new option, however, in the form of injected particles that are magnetically guided to the testes.

A new breakthrough could lead to a safe, effective and reversible male contraceptive pill, as a compound from traditional Chinese medicine has been shown in tests to render mice and monkeys temporarily infertile.

Why use three separate products, when just one will do the trick? That's the thinking behind an experimental new contraceptive gel that combines a spermicide, an anti-viral agent and a libido enhancer in one formulation.

The Pill only works if you remember to take it every single day. To reduce that risk and hassle, researchers at MIT have updated their slow-release, star-shaped oral capsules to last up to four weeks, and used it to deliver contraceptive drugs.

Researchers at Yale University have identified a key molecule that helps activate sperm and guide them to the egg. This could make it a target for both infertility treatments and new contraceptive methods.

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.

For decades male contraception has been limited to condoms or vasectomies, but there aren’t really any options between those two extremes. In the hunt for a useful middle-ground, a new method has been developed that so far seems to be relatively long-lasting, effective and reversible.

Contraceptives are inconvenient – implanted devices are invasive, and you have to remember to take the pill every day. Now researchers at Georgia Tech are developing a painless, contraceptive microneedle patch that people can apply themselves in seconds, and only needs to be done once a month.

Men have limited options for birth control. Now, researchers have developed a new compound that slows down sperm to the point where they can no longer swim, potentially paving the way for a male contraceptive that doesn’t affect natural hormones and is reversible.

​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.​