Lemming's Insane Ranting

Here's some evidence how the tide's changing, pun intended!

Because of the challenges of creating a hormonally-based male birth-control pill, researchers are looking into non-hormonal methods to lower sperm count or somehow disable the sperm so that they cannot fertilize an egg.

Progress in the latter method was announced by researchers at the University of Massachusetts in 2005. Their idea is to inactivate the tails that enable sperm to swim to the egg and fertilize it. When sperm form in the testes, they have their tails but they cannot yet move them. It's not until the sperm pass through the epididymis (the long, coiled tube that connects the testis to the vas deferens) that they are able to swim. Researchers have discovered that a protein, called Cs, "turns on" the sperm's tails on their journey through the epididymis.



The idea is to use a biochemical messenger to block this protein, leaving the sperm unable to swim but otherwise healthy. Animal studies so far have been promising. And unlike hormonal birth control, this technique poses little risk of side effects. Researchers now need to find the right messenger to achieve this task in human males.

- The Male Birth Control Pill

Will it fall upon the us to be the "responsible adult" to go on the pill, or should the burden remain on the "fairer sex"?

Over the Air: The Linux Link Tech Show Podcast - Episode 93