New Male Contraceptive?

According to the latest research published in the March 2010 online edition of the science journal Nature, there could soon be a new male contraceptive.

Research

Scientific research shows that progesterone plays an important part in guiding the sperm to the egg. The egg apparently sends out a hormone signal of progesterone to attract the sperm. The hormone activates a channel in the sperm called CatSper, which then sends masses of calcium into the sperm. This calcium enables the sperm to be hyperactive and move quickly towards the egg. An inability to produce this calcium surge may be the reason why some men are infertile. Pharmaceutical companies are very interested in the idea of a 'male pill' and a unisex contraceptive would be extremely attractive. ".. if you could block CatSper it would be an ideal contraceptive," says David Clapham, a biochemist at the Children's Hospital Boston in Massachusetts, who is one of the team of researchers involved. If a contraceptive could be developed that prevents sperm from responding to the hormone signal from the egg, it would be worth millions of dollars.

Non-hormonal

Sperm without this calcium surge response also lose their sense of direction, so that even if they are placed in the lab right next to an egg they are unable to penetrate and fertilize it. If a drug could be developed that would stop this calcium surge it would not only increase the contraceptive options for both men and women but also make the pharmaceutical company that produced it a fortune.

Because CatSper operates on calcium levels, rather than hormones, it means that the drug could be an effective non-hormonal contraceptive. It would have the advantage of not having the side effects that are common with the Pill and male versions of it, which would also make it more attractive to men. It also has the advantage that it could even be a unisex contraceptive so that either sex could take it to prevent these progesterone hormonal signals from the egg activating the sperm's hypermotility.

Fertility Treatment

"It really is a significant step forward in terms of how we understand what regulates sperm," said Steven Publicover, a reproductive biologist at the University of Birmingham inthe UK. This new knowledge may also have implications for men who suffer with low motility sperm. It could enable researchers to develop a treatment to help these men's sperm produce more calcium so that they can recognize the siren call of the egg and head in the right direction.

Some women's eggs may not produce enough progesterone to attract the sperm which may explain some cases of infertility. So another possible benefit from this research is that it is that if a woman's egg could somehow be encouraged to produce more progesterone, the sperm would be more able to respond.
Some sperm may also not be as sensitive to progesterone as others which may be another explanation for some men's infertility. If the calcium levels in the sperm could be increased then they would become more attracted to the egg. Sperm are also activated by being in a high-PH environment so that could also be another possible treatment for infertile couples. If it becomes possible to increase both the PH environment levels and the calcium levels in sperm, it could have a very beneficial effect for sub-fertile couples. However as there are already a lot of fertility treatments available, doctors will probably stick to what they know. Therefore the most likely use for this new knowledge is in the realm of contraceptives.