A group of curious people gathered around Maxime Labritt at a reproductive rights event in Paris, where he laid out colorful silicone rings. What looks like fun at first glance has a deeper purpose behind it. Labritt, a trained nurse, is trying to revolutionize male contraception, and the possibilities are huge.
Our planet is home to more than 2 billion men* of reproductive age. All second pregnancies are unintended. The burden often falls on women, leaving men with few options to control their fertility.
But here’s the good news. There are many solutions out there, some of which you can purchase today. The hard part: Proving these methods are safe takes time. But even for skeptics, there’s promise in the pipeline.
How trendy is it?
More and more men are interested in taking control of their fertility. A global survey supported by organizations such as the Gates Foundation and the United Nations has found that demand for new male contraceptives is increasing.
What products are available? Beyond condoms and vasectomy
According to the Male Contraceptive Initiative (MCI), scientists are working on more than 100 innovations. There are also ways to stop sperm development. Some focus on preventing the sperm from swimming so that it cannot reach the egg. Others block the sperm again. Certain techniques may be able to prevent sperm from fertilizing an egg.
There are currently some hormone products that are more advanced than others. So far, efforts to develop new contraceptive methods for men have repeatedly failed. The NES/T gel applied to the shoulder is the most advanced in clinical trials so far and is leading the race.
Also among the most promising products are Contraline’s gel, which blocks the tubes that carry sperm, and YourChoice’s non-hormonal daily tablets. Human trials are currently underway, but it will be another five to 10 years before it is available on the market.
Many products available for purchase today take a special approach to “warmth”.
“There’s no need to wait. You can start using male thermal contraception right now,” says Labritt, who invented the silicone ring out of personal frustration. After falling in love with a French woman, she tells him to take responsibility for his sperm. He and his parents developed a prototype for the Andro-Switch ring in their garage.
AndroSwitch and other new male contraceptives could make their way into the male contraceptive market Image: AFP
A new approach: thermal contraception
The principle seems too simple. In other words, sperm production is temperature sensitive. The ring lifts the testicles closer to your body, allowing them to absorb your body’s natural warmth. An increase in body temperature by several degrees can lead to temporary infertility.
Similar products are popping up elsewhere as Mr. Labrit travels across Europe on sailboats to spread the word about his mission. Thermal underwear featuring a heating patch is on sale in France. The testicles are surrounded by a layer of heat, which prevents sperm production.
How do I know it will work?
An important method of monitoring fertility is the seminogram (semen analysis), which assesses sperm quality. To address this, Dr. Rolf Tobisch, a German researcher at Mittelhessen University of Applied Sciences (University of Applied Sciences), developed the household seminogram. This is a device that allows users to test their fertility from the comfort of their home.
But bringing this product to market was a challenge for Tobisch. Physician certification is time-consuming and expensive, so big pharmaceutical companies are reluctant to invest.
He also developed a thermal contraceptive device designed to heat the testicles for just 10 minutes a month, claiming that it could temporarily render men infertile. Despite the potential, Tobish has struggled to secure sufficient funding.
The problem is the doctor’s certification.
“I thought of giving up many times,” Tobisch told DW. He is convinced that it is an invention. Investors typically expect returns within a year, but physician certification can take several years because it requires extensive laboratory studies, clinical trials, and health authority approval.
As a last resort, many inventors brand their products as sex toys or health toys under other brand names. Thermal underwear is sold as a comfort item, and Lovelit’s silicone ring is sold on the website Thoreme.com as a “decoration straight from Uranus.”
Human testing requires each product to be individually evaluated to determine whether it is safe. But there have been decades of research showing it’s possible. For example, three different studies tested whether increasing testicular temperature by 1 to 2 degrees Celsius (33 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit) for at least 15 hours a day affected sperm production. Couples relied on thermal contraception as their only method of contraception. No pregnancy occurred during a total of over 500 menstrual cycles.
Are big pharmaceutical companies holding back on selling their products?
Bayer, one of the largest companies in the contraceptive industry, has halted all research on male fertility Image: Tobias Schwarz/AFP/Getty Images
For the past 50 years, there’s been a running joke in the industry that birth control for men has been delayed by a decade. Logan Nickels, principal investigator at the Male Contraceptive Initiative (MCI), said the company will need support from major pharmaceutical companies to bring the product to market. But rather than taking the lead, Big Pharma is leaving the risks to startups.
The last major effort was over a decade ago. German pharmaceutical giant Bayer has tested its male contraceptive pill on humans and found it to be “effective but with acceptable side effects.”
Despite this success, Bayer discontinued all research into male fertility control. In a statement to DW, Bayer explained that it was doubtful whether the product would be commercially successful. Abbvie and Pfizer said they were not involved in the male contraceptive business and declined to comment on their plans to invest in the business. Other companies contacted by DW, including Johnson & Johnson and Teva, did not respond to requests for comment at the time of publication.
“The problem isn’t men; it’s deep-rooted systems that resist technological and social progress,” says Franka Frei. The German journalist and author has written a book outlining the failure of male-dominated research and a profit-driven medical industry to address the need for gender-equal contraception.
What’s next for the contraceptive market?
The growing global interest in men shows that change is on the way, one product at a time.
It’s not just about availability but also acceptability. “It only takes one product to pave the way,” says MCI’s Nickels, highlighting the potential for a domino effect. He believes men need to have a heart-to-heart with a trusted companion to determine whether these new products are right for them.
The global contraceptive market is expected to reach $44 billion (€40 billion) by 2030, and several countries are investing in this future. Funding is primarily provided by nonprofit organizations and academic institutions, particularly in the United States, but also India, Brazil, and Australia.
Returning to the recent contraceptive rights event in Paris, attendees were optimistic about the issue and its future. Male contraception is a symbol of empowerment. It’s not just about sexual freedom or economic freedom, it’s about giving billions of people the ability to shape their lives and family plans.
Age, menstrual cycle, sport: factors that affect fertility
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*People with male reproductive organs.
Editor: Rob Mudge
