SYDNEY: Men in Sydney are all set to become the first in the world to try a contraceptive which can give them control over their own
fertility.
ANZAC Research Institute, at Concord Hospital, is starting the trial of a new two-monthly male contraceptive injection. It shuts down the reproductive function just like the female contraceptive pill does. It works by tricking the brain into thinking that it has already produced sperm, and that too without affecting men’s sexuality.
Researchers in earlier studies found that the injection worked in 95% of men, who could become fully fertile again three months after they stop having the injections.
According to lead researcher Rob McLachlan, the treatment keeps men’s testosterone levels normal, while the progestin fools the brain into not producing hormones required for initiating sperm production. “But sexual function should not change because your level of testosterone in the blood remains the same,” the Daily telegraph quoted him as saying. Top
