Men who refuse condoms or vasectomy may soon be able to pop a pill to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Scientists at the Baylor College of Medicine are testing JQ1, a male birth control pill that halts sperm production, according to ABC News.
How the Birth Control Works
Will men flock to the pharmacy to stock up on the convenient prophylactic? This radical new twist on birth control means women will have to start trusting men to take a daily pill.
The pill works much like women's birth control pill by altering the natural flow of the reproductive cycle. JQ1 halts production of a protein used to make sperm, radically reducing sperm counts. The male birth control pill is a temporary solution to unwanted pregnancies and reversible, just like women's birth control pills.
The best option is for both partners to use some sort of birth control—pills, patches, spermicides, or implanted devices such as IUD—if they aren't planning to start a family.
"Sperm-making is a pretty delicate thing, and people do seem to have a concept of that," according to Dr. Joseph Alukal, director of male reproductive health at New York University's Langone Medical Center. "How long did it take for women to get comfortable with the reversibility of the birth control pill? I'm not sure."
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