Female and Male Contraception by Giulia Gava and Maria Cristina Meriggiola, 2021
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-70932-7_23
This publication, specifically the chapter Acceptability of Male Hormonal Contraception, was a big part of my research journey. I used this chapter as a guide for my research, and was the focal point of my discoveries. While exploring this article, I also made sure to explore the authors of the article, and who they might be connected to professionally. By doing that, I found many other authors and researchers who have written about male contraception. The authors are Giulia Gava, an endocrine specialist, with a focus in family planning, and Maria Cristina Meriggiola, an OB/GYN (Obstetrics and Gynecology) specialist at University of Bologna and Sant. Orsola Hospital.
In the hunt for a male contraceptive, scientists look to stop sperm in their tracks by Regina G. Barber and Andrea Muraskin, 2022
In this article on the NPR (National Public Radio) website, Regina G. Barber, PhD explores the evolution of male birth control, and the forms it has taken in the past. This article quotes Stephanie Page, an endocrinologist at the University of Washington, saying “We would like to create a menu of options for men similar to what women have available to them,”. I think this quote from the article precisely explains my interest in this topic, and creating options for every person, no matter their gender. This article also describes Dr. Page’s current clinical trial involving male contraception, including a video interview from a couple who has been a part of the trial, linked below.
Credit: University of Washington, Alex Springer and Mel Hopkins
Male Contraception: Research, New Methods, and Implications for Marginalized Populations by Olivia Plana, 2015
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5675331/
In this publication in the National Library of Medicine, Dr. Plana discusses how most contraceptive research is focused on manipulating the female reproductive system. Dr. Plana also mentions how integrating contraceptives, and their possible future use in society and how healthcare providers will be responsible for educating patients on possible new options for contraception. This article also identifies how men of color and men of lower socioeconomic positions may have limited access to these options, which is very important to consider. The integration of male contraceptives will affect societal gender roles and give men and women more freedom and the ability to make decisions for their own reproductive health.
Male Contraceptive Disables Sperm by NIH Research Matters, 2023
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/male-contraceptive-disables-sperm
In this article in the February 2023 edition of NIH (National Institute of Health) Research matters, a study on male contraceptives is discussed. In this study, a sAC inhibitor (An experimental male contraceptive drug candidate that prevents sperm from beating) was delivered to mice in a group before allowing them to mate with females. The sperm from the mice treated with the sAC inhibitor stopped the sperm from being able to move around the female reproductive organs, therefore stopping any chance of pregnancy there may be. By 24 hours after treatment, the mice regained full fertility. This can be a great option for a form of temporary human contraception as it does not harm the fertility of the patient, and seems to work effectively. Of course, much more research is needed to consider this drug safe to have on the market.
Male Contraception Advocacy by Male Contraceptive Initiative
Fig. 1: A blue infographic depicts different statistics about male contraception. In the middle there is a rectangular picture of the globe with stars on different places. These stars correlate to the information on the sides and bottom of the globe.
https://www.malecontraceptive.org/advocacy.html
In this infographic titled “Male Contraception Myth Busting”, there are word blurbs describing different facts about male contraception, including number of men who said they would use a pill, number of women that would trust their partner to use a pill, and statistics of male contraception acceptability around the world. This is important to know because this shows that people are interested in a form of male contraception, and are advocating for it. If the data showed that there was no interest in this new form of birth control, research may not have as much funding or any headway.
Birth Control for Men by Gina Vitale, American Chemical Society, 2022
Fig. 2 shows sperm disabled from a new male birth control trial (A micrograph of swimming human sperm) in blue.
https://cen.acs.org/pharmaceuticals/drug-development/Birth-control-men-male-contraception/100/i41
This article details how male contraception trials have furthered recently. The writing specifically covers the NES/T gel, a gel that is applied to a man’s shoulders every morning, stopping the creation of sperm. The efficacy of this treatment has been “higher than expected”. The article also mentions how after the overturning of Roe V. Wade, the responsibility of family planning and birth control should fall more on men than on women who are being stripped of their reproductive rights. This is an important topic when it relates to the development of contraceptive options, as it is most important to stop pregnancy before it starts in this day and age.