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Male
Contraception
Injection Shows Promise
NEW YORK (Reuters
Health) - In a finding that may come as welcome news to women
tired of being responsible for birth control, a new study shows
that an experimental form of male contraception suppresses the
production of sperm.
The regimen
tested in the study includes a form of the male sex hormone testosterone,
testosterone undecanoate, and norethisterone enanthate (NETE),
a hormone used in some female contraceptives. Over the course
of 24 weeks, all 28 healthy men in the study, who were aged 18
to 45, received a testosterone injection every 6 weeks. Half of
the men were randomly selected to also receive NETE injections,
while the other men took a placebo, or dummy pill, every day.
Men in both
groups experienced a decline in sperm count, but the reductions
were larger in the men taking both hormones, according to Dr.
Eberhard Nieschlag and colleagues at the University of Munster
in Germany. By the end of the study, sperm production had completely
stopped in 13 of the 14 men receiving the hormone combination
but in only 7 of the 14 taking testosterone alone. The findings
are published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
Both sets
of injections did cause some side effects, including mild acne
and pain where the hormones had been injected. And several men
taking testosterone and NETE experienced an increase in nighttime
sweating. But none of the men dropped out of the study due to
side effects, and none complained of changes in mood or sexual
function, the report indicates.
However, the
injections did affect cholesterol levels, raising LDL (''bad'')
cholesterol and lowering HDL (''good'') cholesterol. Although
the hormone combination had more pronounced effects on cholesterol
than testosterone alone, cholesterol levels in all men stayed
within the normal range, according to the researchers.
``In view
of the excellent results and only minor side effects, the combination
of testosterone undecanoate and NETE offers great potential for
the development of a hormonal male contraceptive,'' the authors
write.
SOURCE:
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and
Metabolism 2001;86:303-309.
Reference
Source 89
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