There’s more than one way to contracept. Male fertility can be reversibly inhibited through multiple approaches, and each target area could yield contraceptives with different characteristics.
How Male Birth Control Works
Male fertility can be reversibly inhibited through a variety of sophisticated scientific approaches. Crucially, each specific target area—whether focusing on sperm production, sperm function, or sperm transport—could yield contraceptives with unique characteristics in terms of efficacy, delivery, and reversibility. To maximize the likelihood of success and ensure diverse options reach the market, the Male Contraceptive Initiative’s research portfolio is intentionally diverse, supporting promising non-hormonal male birth control research across every critical area of study.
Sperm Transport
Interrupting the transit of sperm out of the body
Fertilization
Preventing the interaction of sperm and egg
Sperm Motility
Slowing sperm, preventing them from swimming
Spermatogenesis
Targeting the creation & development of sperm
What is non-hormonal contraception?
Contraceptives classified as “non-hormonal” are exactly that: methods that do not affect a person’s hormones. Some common types on non-hormonal contraceptives include, but are not limited to:
Barrier methods
Medical devices that create a literal barrier that prevents sperm from reaching the uterus. These include condoms (the most common birth control method worldwide), diaphragms, and sponges.
Copper Intrauterine Devices (IUDs)
A small, often T-shaped birth control device that is inserted into the uterus to prevent pregnancy. (Please note that there are also hormonal IUDs).
Withdrawal
Also known as the “pull out” method, this involves removing the penis from the vagina prior to ejaculation.
Sterilization
There are two types of sterilization surgeries: tubal ligation, which blocks fallopian tubes to prevent an egg from reaching the uterus, and vasectomy, which involves sealing the tubes that carry sperm out of testes.
Rhythm or Calendar Method
A form of natural family planning that relies on tracking menstrual history to predict ovulation to determine when conception is most likely.
Non-hormonal contraception generally presents fewer side effects (e.g., headaches, reduced sexual desire) and avoids negative interactions with other therapies (e.g., antibiotics). While traditional non-hormonal methods often have low efficacy, new pharmaceutical products currently in development for both men and women promise reliability and flexible delivery (pills, injectables).
These next-generation products employ a targeted approach—inhibiting specific cells, like sperm—to prevent pregnancy with reduced “off-target” effects and minimal side effects. Male Contraceptive Initiative is focused exclusively on developing these non-hormonal options for men, seizing technological developments to deliver reliable, safe, and reversible reproductive autonomy for all.
Male Reproduction & Contraception
The science behind male reproduction can be challenging, yet it is critical to understand the biology in order to know how the male contraceptives of the future will function. In an effort to make this science more accessible, we have developed a series of primers about male reproduction and contraception: