18 ms·
First hormone-free male birth control pill enters human trials
- codr7 2y agoFrom big pharma, yes. But their so called "solutions" seem to become ever more destructive long term. Neem is a natural alternative that has been used for a long time.
- JumpCrisscross 2y ago> Neem is a natural alternative that has been used for a long time It is [1]. But it also trashes your liver if used chronically [2]. [1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34092456/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34092456/ [2] https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018JPhCS1025a2043J/abstract https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018JPhCS1025a2043J/abstra...
- codr7 2y agoThey would say so, yes, because profits.
- JumpCrisscross 2y agoVersus the famously-altruistic alternative medicine and supplements industries?
- codr7 2y agoCompare the numbers, then we can discuss.
- BriggyDwiggs42 2y agoHow about we nationalize the drug companies AND shoot blanks
- gnabgib 2y agoPaper https://www.nature.com/articles/s43856-025-00752-7 https://www.nature.com/articles/s43856-025-00752-7 (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43585950 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43585950)
- panny 2y agoI can't wait until this stuff hits the water supply /s
- mr90210 2y agoI got the /s Europe is struggling with low birth rates. They wouldn’t do it here, as is right now it’s already a calamity.
- Mountain_Skies 2y agoWhat would that look like? Women complain it's unfair they have to be responsible for birth control in relationships. Now there's the ability for men to shoulder the responsibility too. Will voters, male and female, be ok with not taking the egalitarian path? Obviously governments are concerned about falling birthrates but they already have shown a willingness to continue policies that get them re-elected, even at the expense of birthrates.
- jocaal 2y agoI hope you replied to the wrong comment, I don't think women complaining about paying for birth control is a valid reason for sterilizing a population. Also condoms exist.
- Mountain_Skies 2y agoWhile there are complaints about cost depending on location, most of the complains are about the side effects of the pill, which women endure and men don't.
- jocaal 2y agoOk, I'll just ignore the rest of the context of this thread. > the side effects of the pill, which women endure and men don't. women are free to choose to not take the pill or take it and accept the consequences. Also, there are many alternatives to the pill. Either way, I don't understand what point you are trying to make. You are just making random statements and ignoring the context of the discussion.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- steele 2y ago[flagged]
- genter 2y ago99% effective. So if you have sex once a day, you'll only produce 3 kids a year.
- TheCoelacanth 2y agoBirth control effectiveness is typically reported for one year of use, so 100 years of use would produce 1 pregnancy on average
- photochemsyn 2y agoOr, one year of use by 100 men would result in an average of one partner pregnancy per year for this group.
- sidewndr46 2y agoSo a kid a year? A couple married at 18 would be on the road to a record family size at 1 kid a year
- TheCoelacanth 2y agoNo, a kid per hundred years.
- sidewndr46 1y agooh well that makes much more sense. Thanks for clarifying
- Justin_K 2y agoFemale birth control states the same, as nothing is ever 100%
- doubled112 2y agoSometimes life, uhh, finds a way. But yes, if they said something is 100% effective and it wasn’t, I would imagine they would be sued into bankruptcy pretty fast. How much would an accidental child cost these days?
- johnisgood 2y agoWe had alpha-blockers for a long time now, which prevents ejaculation but not orgasm; read: it can completely block the emission phase of ejaculation, while orgasmic function is retained. Example: Silodosin. You need to experiment with it. Sensitive clinical trials measured rates as high as 90-99%. It is entirely non-hormonal. It does not affect libido (rarely), while hormonal male contraceptives do, and it is reversible upon cessation, without any delay, unlike hormonal male contraceptives.
- steanne 2y agoit's been a few decades, but i don't recall sperm in seminal fluids being entirely limited to the grand finale, only mostly.
- johnisgood 2y agoFair, and it needs clarification to avoid conflating pre-ejaculate, seminal plasma, and sperm emission. It may be confusing, so to clarify: "seminal fluids" is a term typically used to refer to the fluid released during ejaculation, not throughout the arousal phase. The idea that sperm would be in the mix before the emission phase goes against standard reproductive physiology. Sperm are only actively introduced into seminal fluid during the emission phase of ejaculation; the so-called "grand finale." :D. Before that, in the arousal phase, the fluids released (like pre-ejaculate) typically contain no sperm unless there's residual contamination from a previous ejaculation.
- yard2010 2y agoIt's funny that residual contamination, in the right context, might lead to the world's best magic - life.
- johnisgood 2y agoI know, especially if you think about it! It is indeed "magic", to me, too. :) (And FWIW, if one might wonder: thankfully this aforementioned "residual contamination" poses no health risk or birth defects.)
- qwuenebj 2y ago[flagged]
- anonym29 2y agoMale abortion rights? As in the man should be allowed to abort a fetus developing from an egg that was unambiguously fertilized by him? Or am I misunderstanding what you're proposing with "universal"?
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- BriggyDwiggs42 2y agoIn a better world it would be sensible to allow the guy to split without child support and so on if he didn’t want the child, but in the real world that would end up hurting a lot of people and birthing lots of kids into poverty. Whether you think that’s worth it is up to you. Abortion as a right is thinking of abortion as a medical procedure that people have the right to access. Universal access, but men don’t tend to utilize it. It really is an important thing to be able to manage pregnancy. Pregnancy is exceptionally brutal on the body and causes innumerable permanent changes. I think it makes sense as an emergency fallback when other preventative methods fail.
- ajsnigrutin 2y agoConsidering we allow women to have abortions for arbitrary reasons, which include financial and any other non-medical, a paper abortion for men would make things a lot more equal.
- hwpythonner 2y agoDo their stats include the guy who forgets to take it every third day, or is that part of the 1%?
- Loughla 2y agoLike Richard Hammond said, if I was a woman, I'd be pregnant a lot. I'm terrible at remembering to take pills. Maybe it's because they're pretty low stakes?
- NegativeK 2y agoIt's not hard to set up nearly fault proof routines and reminders. For example, I have a pill container for the days of the week. Pills go directly into my pocket and don't come out unless they're going in my mouth (almost always during breakfast.) The pocket to mouth routine makes sure I don't set them down somewhere and the pill box gives proof later that I took them.
- niek_pas 2y agoIt’s not hard _for you_.
- nmca 2y agoOnly tangentially related really but almost all of the variance I have ever observed in ability to remember things like this is just trying at all to use a mnemonic or routine. The above routine is a specific practice to remember something — I basically think it would be effective for anyone that actually did it, and almost all non-adherence would be at step zero.
- badgersnake 2y agoThis is why it won’t succeed. The person getting pregnant is going to want some proof that the contraception is being used properly. And that means something that they can see or something that they do themselves.
- neuroelectron 2y ago[flagged]
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- 1024core 2y ago> Both mice and non-human primates fully regained fertility after stopping the drug. Mice regained fertility within six weeks, and non-human primates fully recovered their sperm count in 10-15 weeks. Great recurring source of revenue for the drug company! Though I'm more interested in feral animals like dogs. It looks like this drug may work on dogs too? If so, it would be a huge boon for cities and villages in India.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- Someone1234 2y agoWhy would Cities and Villages in India want a reversible dog contraceptive? They want a cheap, easily deployable, indefinite one.
- 1024core 2y agoI'm saying that a dog contraceptive is what those places need. That fact that it's reversible is a downside.
- esperent 2y agoThere's already a permanent and cheap dog contraceptive. It's called neutration. The problem in places that have feral dog problems isn't the lack of a contraceptive, it's lack of funds, skilled vets, or (and I think this is the main one) political and cultural will to get it done. I'm not sure why India is getting singled out here, lots of places around the world have a dog problem. India might have the largest number of strays on paper but only because it's huge.
- 486sx33 2y agoFor India the best option is castration and hysterectomy
- Retric 2y agoSeems like neutering them would be cheaper and there’s no risk of the dogs missing a drug cycle.
- treis 2y agoThis is one of the annoying things about life. Testosterone effectively already does this and is quite safe. It's just that society is not comfortable with men taking steroids for no particularly good reason.
- margalabargala 2y ago> is quite safe Taking outside sources of testosterone permanently alters your body's ability to make testosterone naturally, to the extent that many people who previously took steroids find they have be on testosterone therapy for the rest of their lives. I wouldn't call "creating a lifelong requirement to take artificial hormones in order to function at your previous baseline" qualifying as "no particularly good reason".
- treis 2y agoMost people who go on Testosterone can go off it just fine. Here's a random study: >Ever since that study, testosterone has undergone extensive clinical trials as a hormonal method of male contraception and many have found testosterone to be efficacious, reversible and safe with minimal short-term side effects https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6305868/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6305868/ It's not super reliable but it's also easily testable if it's working or not.
- AstralStorm 2y agoIt also causes temporary shrinkage in the high overdose needed for any reliability, as opposed to normal dosage.
- margalabargala 2y agoTo be clear, the snippet you quoted is your study summarizing the claims of other studies which are among the cohort analyzed. Let's quote the short, succinct conclusion of the study you picked: > Testosterone therapy is a contraceptive, albeit a poor one. Men of reproductive age with low testosterone should be counseled on the adverse effects of TRT on fertility. Obtaining a semen analysis and possible cryopreservation of sperm should be offered if TRT is prescribed to men interested in preserving fertility. Options such as clomiphene citrate and hCG along with a referral to a reproductive urologist should be considered to naturally increase testosterone levels in those men with low testosterone who want to avoid TRT. Whether a contraceptive that is sufficiently irreversible that men using it are advised to freeze sperm if they ever want kids should be considered "reversible" is left as an exercise to the reader.
- anonym29 2y agoWe didn't have this covered with Magic: The Gathering, LARPing, cryptocurrency speculation, and Funko-pop collections already? /s
- ohgr 2y agoMtG is not effective. Married an MtG player and had 3 kids.
- j_timberlake 2y agoI'm sure it's illegal for a woman to secretly swap out her boyfriend's medicine for a placebo, but good luck proving it happened in court.
- newcool1230 2y ago?
- j_timberlake 2y agoWomen could baby-trap their boyfriend into marriage by swapping out his pills for placebo, then blame the pregnancy on the pills not working. Most women would never do this, but a few definitely would.
- AstralStorm 2y agoIt's way easier to do that for her own pills. You still want the condom to be more certain...
- znpy 2y agoYou'd likely want condoms anyway, unless you are in a stable long-term relationship with somebody highly trustworthy. birth-control pills (male or female) are powerless against sexually-transmissible diseases.
- a_t48 2y agoAnd men with a pregnancy fetish can do the same. What’s your point?
- j_timberlake 2y agoNot every discussion is about making a point.
- rTX5CMRXIfFG 2y ago
- w10-1 2y agoRARα pathway operates in cell development eg of blood cells and in apoptosis, implicated in some cancers. Long-term safety seems doubtful. Offspring could be affected. In a rational world there would be no volunteers for the trials.
- patall 2y agoCould also positively affect offspring if spermatogenesis is blocked at the right step, stopping the gamete progenitors from accumulating somatic mutation. The majority of rare genetic diseases arising from de-novo mutations has its origin in the fathers gamete formation (with increasing risk (i.e accumulation of mutations) at older paternal age). Maybe this could block/slow down this process (i.e cell division) and in 20 years all males that still may want to have kids will take a RARα blocker.
- cantrecallmypwd 2y agoWouldn't it be simpler to bank sperm when a man turns, say, 18 rather than take a risk on what an unproven medication might or might not do?
- giantg2 2y agoDoes this actually stop spermatogenesis, or does it just result in non-viable gamete production?
- khazhoux 2y agoWhoever invents a drug to eliminate male refractory period, will make all the money. All of it.
- vachina 2y agoThis is like removing the rev limiter on your engine. Your engine can now go beyond redline, but not for long because it melted itself.
- MarcelOlsz 2y agoOffset it with a restrictor plate.
- m000 2y agorestrictor + microtransactions -> profit! "Insert coin to continue"
- MarcelOlsz 2y agoWhat? I was talking about restrictor plates from NASCAR.
- giantg2 2y agoMeh, there are people with low to no refactory period already and they don't seem to have any real issues.
- glacier5674 2y ago[dead]
- matheusmoreira 2y agoCabergoline. Lowers prolactin which peaks after ejaculation. Can reduce or eliminate the refractory period. Problem is there is risk of significant cardiovascular side effects, including valvular disease. And they appear to be cumulative: the more pills you take, the higher the risk.
- loeg 2y agoI was curious about the mechanism. https://www.nature.com/articles/s43856-025-00752-7 https://www.nature.com/articles/s43856-025-00752-7 > YCT-529 works by interfering with vitamin A signaling necessary for sperm production and fertility. > The importance of dietary vitamin A and retinoid signaling for male germ cell development and differentiation has been recognized for many years6. All trans-retinoic acid (Fig. 1a) is an active metabolite of vitamin A that exerts its function, at least partly, by binding to retinoic acid receptors (RARs). The RARs α, β, and γ, are encoded by the Rara, Rarb, and Rarg genes in mice, and Rarα and Rarγ have been validated as contraceptive targets by genetic knockouts resulting in male sterility7,8. Notably, the effects on spermatogenesis in the absence of RARα most resemble the loss of RAR signaling in vitamin A deficiency, and the mice are otherwise normal7,8. Further, the effects on spermatogenesis in animals treated orally with the dual RARα/RARγ antagonist BMS-189453 (Fig. 1a, b) closely phenocopied the absence of RARα function. Importantly, the resulting male sterility is reversible9,10,11. We, therefore, wished to identify RARα−selective inhibitors for potential male non-hormonal contraception. Our study describes the development of YCT-529, a highly selective RARα antagonist that reduces sperm counts in mice and non-human primates. Mating studies with male mice treated with 10 mg/kg/day for 4 weeks show that YCT-529 is 99% effective in preventing pregnancies and that the mice fully regain fertility after drug cessation.
- pfdietz 2y agoThis raised concerns in my mind. Retinoids are associated with birth defects, so they'd have to make sure there isn't crossover of the drug to the woman and that it wouldn't cause these problems.
- mistercheph 2y agoThis pill is definitely good for you, with no unmeasured and unexpected side effects!
- derektank 2y agoWhat is the purpose of this comment? This is reporting on a phase 1 trial, which is when side effects and potential toxicity are evaluated. Of course there are no known side effects yet, that's what the trial exists to identify.
- Traubenfuchs 2y agoThis is important, as women coercing men or ignoring their consent regarding pregnancy is not uncommon. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forced_fatherhood https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forced_fatherhood
- polalavik 2y agoUhh this is important because the onus and health risks of contraceptives have been entirely shouldered by women. Not because a very low percentage of men have been “coerced” into fatherhood. There’s lots of comments in this thread on the risks of cancer and this and that risk with male contraceptives. meanwhile, these are already real issues women have to consider when using modern day hormonal contraceptives. The discourse in this thread is so dude-centric tone deaf.
- bruce343434 2y ago> Not because a very low percentage of men have been “coerced” into fatherhood. This dismissal is in bad taste and detracts significantly from the rest of your points made.
- perching_aix 2y agoSorry that a thread on male contraception is dude-centric? How is what you bring up a reason for men not to discuss these things?
- Traubenfuchs 2y agoDiscussions around pregnancy, childbirthbirth and raising children are very gynocentric and minimising men. They are disregarding men having to face a disproportionate economic burden paired with lower (often, NO) rights to have a say. For example, even if they desire abortion, women can force men to pay alimony. Another example would be the common paternity testing prohibition, allowing women to plant cuckoo children as they see fit. Pharmaceutical contraception for men gives then back their reproductive rights.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- thecupisblue 2y agoFirst off, this thread seems to bring out the most "reddit-like" posts on HN. If you've come here to shoot a funny one-liner comment, please reconsider - the point is discussion, not karma farming. Now, on the topic itself - I really wonder about the safety profile of these. While this selectively inhibits only RARα and is thus "biased" towards mostly acting on testes, it could also have side-effects - and while the effect might not be pronounced yet, with long term use it definitely could be, especially if all the RARα receptors get inhibited (will beta and gamma pick up the slack? what is it going to cause?). Considering the 99% effectiveness claim and the method of action, I wonder if the embryos in that 1% case can even survive.
- ein0p 2y ago[flagged]
- flawn 2y ago1) Long-term effects are surely a topic but as with female birth control and the risks connected to it, as well as female-male couples where the female has an incompatibility with birth control, the male partners might take the risk of using it 2) Does it matter if the embryo will survive even in the 1% case? Somebody who uses birth control would not want a child anyway, right?
- ses1984 2y ago2) but it can still be very traumatic. Miscarriages are traumatic. Getting abortions is traumatic.
- water-data-dude 2y agoOne concern I might have is that I’ve heard (and Wikipedia confirms, though with caveats[1]) that ejaculation can help avoid prostate cancer. “These [studies] suggest that frequent ejaculation after puberty offers some reduction of the risk of prostate cancer.” I think we need more/bigger studies to get a handle on how big the effect is though. [1] NSFW warning - this is a Wikipedia article with a picture of a guy ejaculating riiiiight at the top: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ejaculation#Health_issues https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ejaculation#Health_issues
- Vilian 2y agoIt inhibit the sperm not ejaculation
- water-data-dude 2y agoWhoops, you’re right! I read the article and then some comments that were (I see now) tangentially related. Stuff got jumbled up, and I confidently posted something incorrect.
- IceHegel 2y ago[flagged]
- AnnikaL 2y agoReally? It seems like there's already plenty of non-reproductive sex happening! Leaving aside condoms and non-PIV sex acts, there are lots of women on birth control, men who have vasectomies, post-menopausal women, and infertile people in the world, who could certainly have lots of unprotected sex without any reproduction. Those people seem way better off than heroin addicts!
- IceHegel 2y agoTime will tell.
- pftburger 2y ago99% effective? That’s three kids a year.
- Tajnymag 2y agoThat's not how that statistic work
- bitshiftfaced 2y agoI believe when they report this, they're talking about whether there has been an unplanned pregnancy over the course of a year with either typical use or "perfect" use. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
- Voultapher 2y agoThere is a hormone-free option for men today https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat-based_contraception https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat-based_contraception. It's not widely known but has solid science backing it up and even though the wikipedia article claims no long term studies were done, in the 1930s IIRC there was a series of tests done in India and it had men conceive healthy children after a couple of years of using this method. And there have been other long term studies suggesting the same absence of long-term effects if anyone is interested I looked them up a while ago and could go looking for the links.
- Ericson2314 2y agoThis is really good news...and a total surprise! Hope this makes my fellow Americans reconsider science funding :/