No male hormonal contraceptive is ready for clinical use. Most trials were small exploratory studies. Their power to detect important differences was limited and their results imprecise. In addition, assessment of azoospermia can vary by sensitivity of the method used. Future trials need more attention to the methodological requirements for RCTs. More trials with adequate power would also be helpful.
Male hormonal contraception: effects of injections of testosterone undecanoate and depot medroxyprogesterone acetate at eight-week intervals in chinese men.
Surveys indicate that one form of acceptable male hormonal contraception would consist of injections given at 2- to 3-month intervals. This report describes a study of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) and testosterone undecanoate (TU) injected at 8-wk intervals for suppression of spermatogenesis in healthy Chinese men. After screening, 30 healthy volunteers were enrolled and randomly assigned to one of three dose groups (n = 10/group): 1000 mg TU (group A); 1000 mg TU plus 150 mg DMPA (group B); 1000 mg TU plus 300 mg DMPA (group C). All doses were given as im injections at 8-wk intervals. The study consisted of an 8-wk control (baseline) period, a 24-wk treatment period, and a 24-wk recovery period. Consistent azoospermia or severe oligozoospermia was achieved and maintained in all volunteers during the treatment period, except for two men in the TU-alone group who experienced a rebound in sperm concentrations. An 8-wk regimen of TU plus DMPA at both tested combination doses effectively suppressed spermatogenesis to azoospermia in Chinese men. All volunteers tolerated the injections; no serious adverse effects were reported. The lower-dose combination is recommended for further testing in an expanded clinical trial or contraceptive efficacy study.