Effect of male pill could be reversed in months

Researchers from the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center report that men given a hormone-based contraceptive can regain their fertility about four months after stopping the treatment. This kind of contraception could be available in the near future. Drug companies have been working on a male pill or injection to inhibit sperm production and give couples a greater choice of family planning methods. Scientists who analysed studies involving men who had been given the contraceptives in trials found the treatments were highly effective but reversible. Large-scale trials of male hormone-based contraceptives are being conducted in China and Europe, according to the scientists. The researchers analysed data on 1,500 men who had taken part in 30 trials. Their sperm production had been monitored each month until their sperm count hit 20 million per mL, which is considered fertile. The researchers said various factors, including age, original sperm count, duration of treatment and ethnic origin, could influence the recovery rate.