Research Refresh: Are We Any Closer To A Male Birth Control Pill?

When it comes to contraception, the burden almost always falls on women to prevent pregnancy. While women have various options for birth control (including the pill, the patch, IUDs, hormone shots, and tubal ligation), the only modern options available to men are condoms and vasectomies. 

Given that so many different methods have been developed to regulate women’s fertility, a question that often emerges is why we haven’t made the same advances in male contraception. Today, we’re going to do a research refresh and see what’s been done since we first wrote about the topic back in 2012. How have things changed in the last 10-15 years?

What We Knew Then

In the early 2010s, there was a fair amount of discussion in the popular media about new methods of male birth control on the horizon. These included a “testicular zap” and RISUG (Reversible Inhibition of Sperm Under Guidance). 

The “testicular zap” method (as it was referred to in the media) is perhaps more accurately described as a temperature-specific ultrasound treatment. It acts as a temporary contraceptive method by hindering sperm mobility and delaying the production of new sperm by exposing the testicles to higher temperatures. In doing so, men are rendered infertile for a time.

As far as this method goes, a product called COSO has emerged. While the founder is hopeful that this contraceptive can last for at least two months as an at-home treatment, it has yet to be clinically tested to see if it is actually effective at preventing pregnancy. Thus, it is still unclear when or if this product will make it to market.

The RISUG contraceptive method involves the insertion of a polymer into the vas deferens to block the passage of sperm. It is supposedly fully reversible once the polymer is dissolved. RISUG has actually been in development since the late 1970s, but has yet to make it to market for several reasons, including limited interest from pharmaceutical companies and limited data on safety and long-term effects.

What’s Been Developed Since  

In the last decade or so, promising progress has been made on developing an oral contraceptive for men. Of the possible options for a male oral contraceptive, the most progress has been made by a group of researchers who have used YCT-529 to target the pathway that regulates sperm production [1, 2]. YCT-529 is a small molecule that interferes “with vitamin A signaling necessary for sperm production and fertility” [1]. An oral contraceptive, then, would involve using this molecule to inhibit sperm production and fertility. 

A YCT-529 contraceptive was first tested in mice and primates, and was shown to be effective at interrupting spermatogenesis (the production of new sperm), while also being fully reversible. The researchers found that mice fertility reversed after 6 weeks without the contraceptive, and the fertility of non-human privates fully reversed after 10-15 weeks, with no adverse side effects. [1]

After testing this contraceptive approach in mice and primates, a first-phase clinical trial was conducted with sixteen men. Participants took progressively increasing doses of a YCT-529 contraceptive, and were monitored for adverse health reactions, including those related to heart rate, non-targeted hormones, sexual desire, and mood. Overall, the researchers found that the contraceptive was well-tolerated across doses, which is a promising step; however, far more research and clinical testing is needed. [2] 

In addition to an oral contraceptive, at least two other male birth control methods are in various stages of clinical testing. These include a topical hormonal gel and a removable implant, both developed by contraline. 

The topical gel, referred to as NES/T, aims to delay sperm production via administration of two hormones (testosterone and nestorone). This gel is intended to be applied twice daily on the arms and shoulders. 

The removable ADAM implant is akin to the RISUG injectable mentioned earlier. Like RISUG, ADAM works by targeting (and blocking) sperm travel through the vans deferens. Unlike RISUG, however, the ADAM implant is designed to liquefy after a certain amount of time and reopen this passage for sperm travel, acting as a more temporary contraceptive than an injected polymer. 

While there have recently been some intriguing developments in the world of male contraception, all of the options currently under study still require extensive clinical testing. Thus, while we seem to be getting closer to a male equivalent of the pill, we still have a long way to go.

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References

[1] Mannowetz, N., Chung, S. S. W., Maitra, S., Noman, M. A. A., Wong, H. L., Cheryala, N., Bakshi, A., Wolgemuth, D. J., & Georg, G. I. (2025). Targeting the retinoid signaling pathway with YCT-529 for effective and reversible oral contraception in mice and primates. Communications Medicine, 5(1), 68. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43856-025-00752-7

[2] Mannowetz, N., McCallum, S. W., Sidhu, S., Mena, K. H., Ruby, E. P., Castro-Santamaria, R., Dodds, E., Henderson, D., Whitaker, G., Wright, H., Beaudoin, S., & Bakshi, A. (2025). Safety and pharmacokinetics of the non-hormonal male contraceptive YCT-529. Communications Medicine, 5(1), 279. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43856-025-01004-4