How do male birth control pills work?

In order to avoid having a baby during sex, couples often take some effective contraceptive measures. The most familiar ones are wearing condoms and women taking oral contraceptives. So besides these methods, are there other methods? The answer is yes. There are oral contraceptives for women and men. So how do male contraceptives work?

To understand the working principle of male contraceptives, we must first understand the process of sperm production. The walls of the seminiferous tubules in the testicles are covered with 5 to 8 layers of cells, including supporting cells and spermatogenic cells, also known as the seminiferous epithelium. Supporting cells are arranged on the basement membrane of the seminiferous tubules, with their tops extending into the lumen. They support, nourish, and protect spermatogenic cells at all levels, and may also have the function of regulating interstitial cells; spermatogenic cells continue to proliferate and differentiate, from spermatogonia, primary spermatocytes, secondary spermatocytes, spermatids, and finally form sperm, which are arranged layer by layer from the base to the lumen.

Each primary spermatocyte can divide into 4 sperm cells, which attach to the pits at the top of the supporting cells to obtain nutrients, undergo metamorphosis and maturation, and develop into sperm. Spermatogenesis is a continuous process, like an endless relay race, with sperm produced all the time, and hundreds of millions of sperm are formed every day. The fully developed sperm enters the epididymis with the testicular fluid. The spermatogenesis process is mainly participated and regulated by the hypothalamus, pituitary gland and gonadal hormones.

So, what are the different ways that male contraceptive pills work?

(1) Long-term and excessive use of gonadotropin-releasing hormones. Down-regulation leads to a decrease in the secretion of pituitary gonadotropins (follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone), thereby inhibiting spermatogenesis.

(2) Use corresponding antibodies to follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone to block the effects of these hormones. However, since these two hormones contain the same α subunit, which is the same as the α subunit of thyroid-stimulating hormone, when the antibody cannot specifically counteract the hormone, it may cause unnecessary side effects.

(3) Use of autologous hormones. If testosterone is used alone or in combination with progesterone, negative feedback can be used to inhibit the pituitary gland from secreting gonadotropin and thus inhibit spermatogenesis. Regular injections of testosterone enanthate can achieve an anti-fertility effect, which can be restored after discontinuation of the drug. It is a promising male contraceptive. The above drugs all interfere with the spermatogenesis process by inhibiting the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis. The drugs are expensive and inconvenient to use. At the same time, they inhibit the function of testicular interstitial cells, resulting in a decrease in testosterone levels, decreased libido or sexual dysfunction. Therefore, further research and solutions are still needed. Among them, although testosterone also inhibits the function of interstitial cells, it has a substitution effect itself, so it does not affect sexual function and has a good prospect for use.

(4) Gossypol is a drug that selectively inhibits spermatogenic epithelium. Chinese scholars first discovered the anti-fertility effect of gossypol, and conducted a large number of studies and clinical trials in China. This research has attracted international attention. It is a male oral contraceptive that is cheap and easy to use, but it also has certain side effects. All male contraceptives have similar shortcomings, namely, slow onset of effect. This is because the above drugs have no killing effect on the sperm that has been produced; and because the spermatogenesis process takes a certain amount of time, the recovery of fertility function is also slow after stopping the drug.

Many people have questions about the safety of male contraceptives. We have also consulted some authoritative experts. The experts told us with certainty that there are many contraceptive products in society today. Branded contraceptives are all certified by the state. Never buy some cheap male contraceptives that are not certified by the state.