It has been more than four decades now since the birth of The Pill. Advances in medical science have already offered women various forms of effective contraception to choose from: hormonal birth control pills to patches, vaginal rings to IUDs and implants, and reversible to permanent methods of birth control.

While women enjoy a wide range of birth control options to choose from depending on their needs, the available male birth control methods, on the other hand, have not changed much through the years. It seems that the quest for a safe, effective, and commercially viable male contraceptive is taking a very slow pace.

Over the last two decades, however, researchers from UCLA and the University of Sydney have conducted male hormonal birth control studies. Based on analyzed data, it was found that men's sperm counts returned to normal within four or five months of stopping treatment.

According to Peter Y. Liu, Ph.D., M.D., it is one thing to know that male hormonal contraception works, and another to know that fertility can be restored when a man chooses. ? This is an important step in the evolution of male contraception,? he adds.

With this latest development, experts are optimistic that hormonal contraception in the men's department may finally become a commercial reality within the next few years. Research-based evidence were reassuring since the male birth control products that are now being tested have been found to be not only effective, but reversible as well.

An implant combination of the steroid hormone progestin and shots of another steroid hormone, androgen appears closest to commercial reality as observed by Diana Blithe, Ph.D., program director for the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's male contraceptive development program.

While progestins are often used in women's contraception, the major hormones responsible for the development and maintenance of male characteristics are androgens. The implant is expected to last for a year and men would need to get the shots every three months. This is a big improvement over earlier versions of male hormonal birth control, which required androgen shots as often as every week.

Blithe believes that contraceptive formulations have improved and she is optimistic that men would embrace the idea. ?We are very much closer than we were just a few years ago,? said Blithe.

The research involved a review of the raw data taken from 30 studies of male birth control methods published between 1990 and 2005. In all of the studies, the output of sperm was monitored on a monthly basis after discontinuation of contraception until sperm recovery. A threshold of at least 20 million sperm per milliliter of semen is a widely accepted indicator of fertility.

The average time for sperm recovery of 20 million per milliliter was 3 to 4 months. Older age, Asian race, shorter length of treatment, and higher sperm concentrations prior to treatment were all associated with faster recovery.

With the use of probability calculations, Liu and his colleagues estimated that 67% of men using hormonal contraception can become fertile again within 6 months of discontinuing treatment, while 90% will recover their fertility within a year, and 100% will return to normal fertility in 2 years time.

These findings should help in reassuring men that this procedure of male birth control is really reversible. Aside from the implant-shot combination, studies are now underway for biodegradable testosterone pellets and gel delivery methods for male hormonal birth control.