What is it about?
Discovery of new male contraceptives has been painfully slow, with only condoms and spermicides being reliably reversible and safe. Vasectomy is another option for longer term contraception, but reversibility requires surgery and is not guaranteed. In this paper, we are exploring a novel type of male contraception: one that blocks the production of sperm in men without causing hormonal effects or requiring surgery, but still being completely reversible.
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Why is it important?
New male contraceptives are critical for providing men and couples with options for preventing pregnancy that are not "on demand" so that they can plan their pregnancies over the long term. Additionally, many of the female options for contraception (such as the pill or the IUD) are not favorable or well tolerated for some women, so we need a greater array of options. Providing long-term contraceptives for men provides equity in the family planning that is critical for both men and women.
Perspectives
This publication represents only a proof-of-principle that long term male contraception can be safe, efficacious and reversible, without unfavorable side effects. We still have a way to go to identify appropriate targets.
Paula Cohen
Cornell University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Meiotic prophase I disruption as a strategy for nonhormonal male contraception using small-molecule inhibitor JQ1, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, April 2026, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2517498123.
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