Sydney men to become first to try 'male Pill'

Sydney, Feb 2 (ANI): Men in Sydney are all set to become the first in the world to try a contraceptive, which can give them control over their own fertility.

ANZAC Research Institute, at Concord Hospital, is starting the trail of a new two-monthly male contraceptive injection.

The jab shuts down the reproductive function just like the female contraceptive pill does.

It works by tricking the brain into thinking that it has already produced sperm, and that too without affecting men's sexuality.

Researchers in earlier studies found that the injection worked in 95 per cent of men, who could become fully fertile again three months after they stop having the injections.

Sydney is one of 10 centres, including Melbourne's Prince Henry Institute, to take part in the worldwide trial.

According to lead researcher Professor Rob McLachlan, the treatment kept men's testosterone levels normal, while the progestin fooled the brain into not producing hormones required for initiating sperm production.

"But sexual function should not change because your level of testosterone in the blood remains the same," the Daily telegraph quoted him as saying.

The trial18-month trial, which need four hundred couples, will test the effectiveness of the injection as the only form of contraception. (ANI)