Soundbites: Male contraceptive study results

Initial study results that show promise for a new birth control pill for men were presented March 18 by Dr. Stephanie Page, professor of medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. She reported the findings at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Chicago. 

The experimental male oral contraceptive, dimethandrolone undecanoate (DMAU), combines activity of an androgen (male hormone) like testosterone and a progestin. Like the birth-control pill for women, it is taken once a day, said Page, the study’s senior investigator at UW Medicine in Seattle. 

“DMAU is a major step forward in the development of a once-daily ‘male pill’,” she said. “Many men say they would prefer a daily pill as a reversible contraceptive, rather than long-acting injections or topical gels, which are also in development.”

The study included 100 healthy men, ages 18 to 50. It took place at University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle and at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, California. 

Page discusses the findings in this downloadable video segment.