Male pill 'available in five years'

Last updated at 10:04 04 May 2006


Men who take the male contraceptive pill can be confident their sperm levels will return to normal three months after they stop using them, doctors say.

The news will reassure men who want to have more children after using hormone drugs.

Researchers are developing a male pill, as well as other methods such as implants and injections for men. They believe the male pill could be available within five years if trials continue to be successful.

The scientists analysed 30 trials published between 1990 and 2005, which monitored sperm output every month until recovery after they stopped hormonal treatment. They found the average time for sperm to return to 20 million per ml - an indicator of fertility - was just over three months.

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Head researcher Dr Peter Liu, at the University of Sydney, said: "These findings increase the promise of new contraceptive drugs allowing men to share more fairly the satisfaction and burden of family planning."

Anne Weyman, chief executive of the Family Planning Association, said: "It's encouraging that this analysis shows that male methods at the research stage are both effective and reversible.

"We know from calls to our helpline that many men want to get more involved with contraception.

"It will be great news when the method is finally available, although this will be some years away yet."

The results related to about 1,500 men and were published today in the journal The Lancet.

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