Male contraception pill stops fertility without affecting hormones

A male contraception pill that protects male hormones while preventing fertility is in the works.

For years now, women have been solely responsible when it comes to taking hormonal contraception - AKA 'the pill' - and have had to exclusively bear the bodily and financial brunt of some seriously unpleasant physical and mental side effects.

But things, at long last, seem to finally be changing after scientists created a groundbreaking non-hormonal birth control pill known as 'YCT-529'.

The pill prevents sperm production by blocking a vitamin A metabolite essential for spermatogenesis.

Unlike many female hormonal contraceptives, it works without altering testosterone, mood or libido.

It was developed by YourChoice Therapeutics in partnership with Columbia University and the University of Minnesota, with Dr Gunda Georg, regents professor at the University of Minnesota, leading YCT-529's scientific development for around two decades.

YCT-529 protects male hormones while preventing fertility (Getty Stock Images)

TEDxGateway explains that YCT-529 targets the retinoic acid receptor alpha in the testes, a protein that drives vitamin A signalling needed for sperm development.

By selectively blocking it, the drug pauses sperm production in a reversible way, without the hormone-related side effects seen in other male contraceptives.

Right now, men have two main options when it comes to contraception.

The first option is condoms, which carry a typical failure rate of around 13 percent, TED reports.

There is also a vasectomy procedure, which is usually permanent. YCT-529, however, introduces the prospect of something way more flexible: oral, reversible and designed to be side-effect free.

This development could completely reshape how contraception and pregnancy planning are shared between heterosexual partners.

After clearing its first safety trial, the drug is now in extended studies. These involve longer dosing windows, between 28 and 90 days, across a larger group of men. The aim is to confirm how effectively it suppresses sperm production, while continuing to track long-term safety and reversibility.

There are a number of serious side effects associated with hormonal oral contraception (Getty Stock Images)

After catching light of the news, many people rushed to social media to share that while they were happy with the major scientific breakthrough, it was 'ironic' that women haven't been afforded the same luxury since the pill's widespread availability in the UK, dating back decades to 1961.

One Instagram user sarcastically quipped: “‘Side-effect free option’ - love that for them.”

“They couldn’t have made something like this for women?” questioned a second.

A third chimed in: “Hold on, they get non-hormonal before we do?!”

“I really want to be happy for finally having birth control for men, but it’s hard to not joke about the irony of achieving a SIDE EFFECT FREE result in like, the first mainstream available option,” pointed out another.

And a final person directly addressed the ‘misandry’ allegations cropping up due to women voicing their more than understandable gripes.

Women have long had to deal with the physical, mental and financial toll of hormonal oral contraceptives alone (Getty Stock Images)

They began: “For all the men in the comments: No one is attacking men. We’re pointing out that women have been expected to chemically override our endocrine systems for decades because medical research is based on male bodies and female hormones were considered ‘too complicated’.

“A non-hormonal contraceptive for men is great. What’s annoying is watching people pretend women haven’t dealt with blood clots, mood changes, weight gain, libido loss and increased stroke risk just to avoid pregnancy.

“Shared responsibility isn’t misandry. It’s literally just asking medicine to be fair and the health system should take care of women too.”

The Instagram user concluded: “If men had to deal with half the stuff women did on a day to day basis for literally just being a woman, they’d immediately make any sort of medical care needed accessible.”

Tyla has reached out to YourChoice Therapeutics for comment.