Male Birth Control Shot Controversy: The Real Reason Why the Study was Killed

According to a study commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO), men can take birth control shots to prevent pregnancy in their female partners. Although the result of the initial study looked promising, the second stage of the trial was stopped, and now many people are wondering why.

To find out if the contraceptive shot is effective, 320 healthy men in monogamous relationships with female partners were subjected in an experiment.

As per the study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, each of them was given the shot every eight weeks. The intramuscular injections consist of 200 miligrams of norethisterone enanthate combined with 1000 miligramz of testosterone undecanoate.

Norethisterone enanthate is a derivative of the female hormones progesterone and estrogen referred to as "progestin" in the synthetic form.

Results showed that 95.9 of 100 continuing users suppressed to a sperm concentration less than or equal to 1 million/mL within 24 weeks.

In an interview with CNN, Dr. Seth Cohen, a urologist at NYU Langone Medical Center, explained that the decrease in sperm concentration is caused by a "brain malfunction," which happens when the body shuts down its own production of testosterone. The testosterone and progestin injected on the body make the brain think that the body is already getting enough of it so it stops producing testosterone.

If the method was considered efficient and relatively good, why did they stop the study? Apparently, the contraceptive shot has some side effects that include acne proliferation, depression and mild to moderate mood disorders.

National Public Radio reported that during the course of the study, some subjects decided to drop out because of the side effects. The report noted that one man developed severe depression, and another tried to commit suicide. Because of that, they cut the study short.

The infamous study had raised people's hopes high, but now the findings were deemed a major setback in the field of contraception. The study was conducted in 2012 and the results were only published now.