Human Reproduction

Male Contraceptive Pill: Could Men Participate in Daily Birth Control as Well?

Of course, there are many ways a man can also ensure contraception like condoms, vasectomy, outercourse and even abstinence. However, men still complain that these options don’t let them enjoy sex fully – condoms reduce the sexual experience or that vasectomy involves surgery which many aren’t comfortable with.

 

 

Male birth control could provide a striking contraception substitute for many reasons. First, it would allow men and women to take an equal part in contraception. Additionally, it could lessen women’s worries over female birth control’s long-term impact on fertility. Since female birth control also messes with some women’s libidos, a male birth control option could offer a more exciting form of contraception for both partners. Although, it wouldn’t block any sexually transmitted diseases.

Testosterone is responsible for the development of sexual characteristics, including muscle mass and facial hair growth, in men. It’s also responsible for stimulating the testes to manufacture sperm.

Normally, at the start of the sperm-production cycle, the hypothalamus in the brain releases gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), which triggers the release of fertility hormones called gonadotropins (FSH and ICSH) from the pituitary gland. ICSH signals the testes to produce testosterone, and FSH and testosterone tell the testes to produce sperm. When sperm production is complete, the testes release testosterone and a hormone called inhibin into the body, which tells the brain that there’s enough sperm. This stops the release of sperm-producing hormones until the testes require a refill, and the hypothalamus starts the cycle anew.

If there are always high doses of testosterone in the male bloodstream, they continually tell the brain that the testes are producing enough sperm, which turns off the release of GnRH indefinitely. Male birth control researchers discovered that this testosterone-pumping, GnRH-thwarting approach also comes with a host of physical side effects, including acne, weight gain, prostate-gland growth and abnormal liver function.

These days, male birth control researchers have largely given up on finding a hormonal sperm blocker in favor of non-hormonal options.

An article that’s worth a read – FERTILIZATION DISCOVERY: DO SPERM CARRY TINY HARPOONS?

Stop their beating tails

In a study in mice published in October 2015, Haruhiko Miyata and colleagues at Osaka University in Japan discovered a protein, called Calcineuron, that was found to be crucial in helping sperm swim and break through the membrane of a female egg in order to fertilize it. When the genes behind this protein were blocked, the mice became infertile.

Effects were seen in the mice within four to five days after treatment and the presence of these same proteins in humans make this a possible option. The effects were also reversible as fertility was restored one week after treatments were stopped. “[This] may lead to the development of a reversible male contraceptive,” the scientists wrote in the paper.

But Huhtaniemi warns of the challenges when controlling large quantities of sperm and that any use by humans is still a decade away at a minimum.

“The biology is the biggest hurdle … at every heartbeat men produce thousands of sperm,” he says.

Prevent fusion

Numerous studies have targeted different stages of sperm production and fertilization, including one published in 2015 that identified a process needed for sperm to fuse with a female egg during fertilization.

The research was conducted by John Herr, professor of Cell Biology and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Virginia, who found a miniscule filament involved in stabilizing sperm as they fuse to an egg. By blocking stabilization, they may one day prevent fusion — and pregnancy.

For now, the team has a lot more to uncover.

“This is early; it’s more about understanding the mechanism involved in fertilization and how you can block the formation of this filament,” says Herr.

A pill in the hand may still decades away, but Huhtaniemi remains hopeful.

“I am convinced that an observation on a non-hormonal target will one day lead to a breakthrough,” says Huhtaniemi.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MHOk7qVhYs

Ectopic Pregnancies

An ectopic pregnancy occurs when implantation happens at a location other than the uterine wall. A normal pregnancy would ideally involve implantation at the upper uterine wall while an ectopic pregnancy can occur in the fallopian tube, in the ovary itself or maybe even in the abdomen on the cervix.

While a pregnancy test may reveal a woman is pregnant, a fertilized egg can’t properly grow anywhere other than the uterus. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), ectopic pregnancies occur in about 1 out of every 50 pregnancies (20 out of 1,000).

An untreated ectopic pregnancy can be a medical emergency. Prompt treatment reduces your risk of complications from the ectopic pregnancy, increases your chances for future, healthy pregnancies, and reduces future health complications.

What causes an ectopic pregnancy?

• An infection or inflammation of the fallopian tube can cause it to become partially or entirely blocked.
• Scar tissue from a previous infection or a surgical procedure on the tube may also impede the egg’s movement.
• Previous surgery in the pelvic area or on the tubes can cause adhesions.
• Abnormal growths or a birth defect can result in an abnormality in the tube’s shape.

Who is at risk for having an ectopic pregnancy?

• Maternal age of 35-44 years
• Previous ectopic pregnancy
• Previous pelvic or abdominal surgery
• Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)
• Several induced abortions
• Conceiving after having a tubal ligation or while an IUD is in place
• Smoking
• Endometriosis
• Undergoing fertility treatments or are using fertility medications

There are many incidences of odd ectopic pregnancies but here’s an interesting article to start you off: TWO UNUSUAL CASES OF ECTOPIC PREGNANCY

Umbilical Cords for Multiple Pregnancies

There are two types of identical twins.

Monozygotic Twins

About one-third of identical twins split soon after fertilisation and form completely separate twins. Like fraternal twins, these twins have separate placentas. The other two-thirds split after they attach to the wall of the womb. As a result, they share a placenta. The technical name for this is monochorionic. In a very small number of identical twins, splitting might happen even later. In this case, both twins share an inner sac, called the amnion, in addition to sharing a placenta. The technical name for this is monoamniotic twins. They’re often called MoMo twins.

 

Dizygotic Twins

 

 

Sometimes a woman’s ovaries release two eggs, and two separate sperm fertilise each egg. These form twins. These twins are called fraternal twins, dizygotic twins (meaning two zygotes) or non-identical twins. During pregnancy, the developing babies get oxygen and food from their mother through the placenta and umbilical cord. Fraternal twins have separate placenta and umbilical cords. The technical name for this is dichorionic.