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Birth control.......for men?
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A key discovery is shedding light on a long-standing mystery associated with the human reproduction process. It has been known for some time that sperm must reside in the female reproductive tract for a brief period before it becomes capable of fertilizing an egg. The change that the sperm cell undergoes is called capacitation and is a molecular level change within the sperm cell.
Mark Platt, assistant professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and associates gained new insight into this elusive process by utilizing tandem mass spectrometry to study how the proteins within the capacitated sperm have changed.
So, how could the male version of the birth control pill work? For females, the birth control process involves either preventing ovulation or does this as well as works to prevent the fertilized egg from implanting in the wall of the uterus. The male version would inhibit the capacitation process within the sperm, rendering it incapable of fertilizing an egg.
Granted, turning this groundbreaking research into a viable contraception requires further development. But if you see a man swallowing a pill from something that looks like a make-up compact, do not be surprised. He is only exercising a modicum of responsibility.
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