Steroidal contraception for men.

This article is a review of the development of male steroidal contraceptives during the past 25 years. Numerous studies have been conducted on male volunteers with oral and/or injectable preparations of single or combined steroids. Progestogen, androgen alone, or progestogen and androgen combinations have been used as weekly or monthly injectable formulations. Most of the studies involved small numbers of subjects. There was reversible suppression of spermatogenesis to oligospermia and/or azoospermia during the treatment period. Alteration of LH, FSH and testosterone levels in the blood was observed in most of these studies, depending on the steroid or combination of steroids used. There were reports about decreased or increased libido and weight gain during treatment with steroids. No other serious side-effects were found. Attention has recently focused on developing an androgen-only male contraceptive, because testosterone ester has shown promising results. The development of an effective and reliable steroidal contraceptive for men may be possible but this requires further research.