Is the pill for men really on the way?

What an invention that would be, huh, a contraceptive pill for men. Over the years, I've often read online that ‘it's really on the way’, but honestly: I was quite skeptical about it. A case of seeing is believing. But good news, folks, because it really seems to be coming now. In fact, there have already been successful studies.

These were conducted on mice, reports the American Chemical Society. These male mice were given non-hormonal contraception that — hooray! — successfully prevented pregnancies. And also without clear side effects. Studies like these, for medication and antibiotics, are primarily tested on mice to see if they actually work. They test on mice with the same genetic profile as humans. Yes, seriously: the genetic, biological, and behavioral characteristics of mice closely resemble those of us humans.

So it is quite significant and good news that this form of contraception has proven successful in mice. And then comes the next phase: testing on humans. This is set to happen in the third or fourth quarter of 2022, on a group of men. For now, this contraception is called YCT529, but if it hits the market, I bet they will go for a different name.

Now I'm especially curious whether men will actually use it if this contraception comes to market. It really sounds ideal, right? The pill for women has so many side effects, and I hear many horror stories about how long women have problems getting pregnant after stopping the pill. This turned out to be very different in this test on mice: there were no observable side effects in the bodies of the mice, and after stopping this form of contraception (which must be taken orally), they were fertile again after four to six weeks.

Fingers crossed that the test subjects (test men might be a better term) respond just as well this year, and then 2023 might just be the year in which contraception for men hits the market. That would be something.