Attitudes toward condom use and AIDS among patients from an urban family practice center

As part of an effort to better educate patients about using condoms, a survey was done to assess the sexual practices, attitudes toward acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and condom use by patients who visit an urban family practice center. A self-administered questionnaire was given to 126 patients of whom the majority were black and single. Seventeen percent indicated they had sex with more than one person in the 3 months before the survey. Within the last 5 years, 10% had sex with an intravenous drug abuser, and 6% with someone of the same sex. Fifty percent believed that condoms decrease sexual pleasure for men and 31% thought condoms made sex inconvenient. Twenty-seven percent of those surveyed believed that a man's penis may be too large for a condom and 18% believed that uncircumcised men could not use condoms. Forty-five percent believed they should be screened for human immune deficiency virus exposure. The results highlight attitudes and beliefs that may function as barriers to condom use and should be addressed when encouraging condom use with this population.

Recently approved and experimental methods of contraception

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recently approved two new contraceptive methods, and others are nearing approval. In addition, several innovative approaches to contraception are under investigation. This paper details the latest information on the following methods: Paragard Copper T 380A intrauterine device, cervical cap, NORPLANT, vaginal pouch, long-acting injectables, hormonal vaginal ring, transdermal patch, experimental male methods, inhibin, and contraceptive vaccines.

Contraceptive practice in the United States, 1982-1988

Use of oral contraceptives by married women declined markedly between 1973 and 1982, but analysis of data from the 1988 National Survey of Family Growth shows that this decline stopped between 1982 and 1988. Reliance on female sterilization continued to increase, however, and it remained the leading method among currently married and formerly married women. Among women of all marital statuses, IUD use dropped by two-thirds between 1982 and 1988, from 2.2 million to 0.7 million women. As the proportion of less-educated, low-income, black and Hispanic contraceptive users choosing the IUD decreased, the proportion relying on female sterilization increased. Among college-educated white women, use of female sterilization did not increase; instead, pill use rose in this group. Condom use increased most sharply among teenagers and rose among never-married white and black women, but the pill was still the leading method by far in these groups, regardless of race. Among never-married black women, reliance on sterilization increased significantly between 1982 and 1988, with female sterilization becoming the second leading method. Use of the diaphragm declined sharply over the same period among never-married white women and among those who intended to have more children, as did use of periodic abstinence (rhythm and natural family planning) and foam.

Pyrimethamine: an approach to the development of a male contraceptive

With the human population of the world currently more than 5.2 billion and growing at an explosive rate, the need for additional forms of readily available contraception appears paramount. To date, contraception techniques in the male have been very limited. The present study demonstrates the ability of pyrimethamine (PYR) to cause spermatogenic arrest and male infertility in mice in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, upon cessation of drug administration all animals returned to normal fertility status. It is also suggested that the action of PYR is due to its antifolate action. Thus, PYR represents another approach toward development of a male contraceptive.

Combination of 19-nortestosterone-hexyloxyphenylpropionate (Anadur) and depot-medroxyprogesterone-acetate (Clinovir) for male contraception

Because monotherapy with 19-nortestosterone hexyloxyphenylpropionate (Anadur, Pharmacia Arzneimittel, Ratingen, Federal Republic of Germany) suggested improved results for male contraception compared with available testosterone esters, it was tested for induction of complete azoospermia when combined with depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA, Clinovir, Upjohn GmbH, Heppenheim, Federal Republic of Germany). Twelve men were treated for 7 weeks with weekly intramuscular (IM) injections of 200 mg Anadur followed by 3-weekly IM injections of Anadur up to week 15. Clinovir (250 mg) IM was administered at the start of treatment and during weeks 6 and 12. Anadur and Clinovir suppressed serum gonadotropins. Although serum testosterone declined steeply, in general, libido and potency were not impaired. Sperm concentrations were reduced significantly after 3 weeks of treatment. Lowest sperm counts were seen during week 8 of follow-up, when only 2 volunteers showed measurable sperm counts of 2.1 and 3.0 X 10(6)/ml, with a declining tendency. After 43 weeks, sperm concentrations were still below pretreatment range in 2 men, but later returned to pretreatment values. Computerized sperm motion analysis revealed that motility parameters in the residual sperm were reduced. In vitro analysis excluded a direct effect of medroxyprogesterone acetate in seminal plasma on sperm motion. The data indicate that the combination of Anadur with Clinovir increases the rate of azoospermia in normal volunteers seen under Anadur monotherapy, although the goal of azoospermia in all participants was not quite achieved.

Anti-fertility vaccines

Vaccines are under development for the control of fertility in males and females. This review discusses developments in anti-fertility vaccines at the National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India. A single injection procedure for the sterilization or castration of male animals depending on the site at which the injection is given, has passed through field testing and is expected to be on the market in the near future. Vaccines inducing antibodies against the human chorionic gonadotropin have gone through phase I trials with satisfactory results. A vaccine producing a consistently bioeffective antibody response against gonadotropin-releasing hormone is ready for phase I/II clinical trials in patients of carcinoma of prostate after due experimentation in animals and toxicology studies. Research to identify sperm antigens for incorporation into second generation vaccines is in progress.

Is high dosage testosterone an effective male contraceptive agent?

In male contraceptive trials, approximately half of normal men become azoospermic on high dosages of testosterone enanthate (TE), whereas the other half of men become severely oligozoospermic. To determine whether sperm function is reduced in men with severe oligozoospermia induced by TE, we studied sperm function in six normal men whose sperm counts were reduced to less than or equal to 5 X 10(6)/ml but not to azoospermia by high-dosage TE administration for 5 to 6 months and five normal men who received placebo (sesame oil) injections for the same period of time. Seminal fluid analysis and sperm function (as assessed by zona pellucida-free hamster ova penetration test, HOPT) were performed during a pretreatment period and after at least 3 months of TE or placebo treatment. HOPT was severely reduced in all six men, whose sperm counts were suppressed to severe oligozoospermia during TE (0.8 +/- 0.8% compared to 37 +/- 14% during the pretreatment period, P less than 0.05). Five men failed to penetrate any hamster ova, while the remaining man penetrated only 5% of ova during TE treatment. There were no significant changes in other seminal fluid measurements during high-dosage TE. The five men who received placebo injections did not demonstrate any significant changes in HOPT or seminal fluid analysis during the treatment period. In summary, we found that the fertilizing capacity of sperm is markedly diminished when sperm production is severely reduced by high-dosage TE administration. These findings suggest that male contraception may be achievable by reduction of spermatogenesis to severe oligozoospermia.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Inhibition of spermatogenesis in men using various combinations of oral progestagens and percutaneous or oral androgens

Eight men (experiment 1) requesting male contraception received a daily oral dose of 20 mg medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) combined with 125 mg percutaneous dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Three months later the mean sperm count was only diminished slightly; the replacement of DHT for four men by percutaneous testosterone at the same concentration led to a dramatic fall in sperm count. For 6-18 months all men were treated with MPA plus percutaneous testosterone (250 mg daily). The latter dose restored physiological levels of plasma testosterone. Follicle-stimulating hormone levels were inhibited more severely than in the DHT-treated group, whereas LH levels were variable. Azoospermia was achieved and maintained in six cases; two men were oligozoospermic and in one case a moderate secondary rise in the sperm count was observed. Twelve volunteers (experiment 2) received a daily oral dose of either 5 or 10 mg norethisterone acetate plus percutaneous testosterone (250 mg daily). All of them achieved azoospermia within 2 months, but two subjects later exhibited a partial restoration in sperm count. Follicle-stimulating hormone and LH levels were inhibited more severely than in the first experiment. The sperm count and gonadotrophin levels returned to initial values within 6 months after cessation of the treatment in both experiments. No side-effects were noted concerning blood parameters, libido or body weight. However, several female partners had elevated levels of plasma testosterone. In experiment 3 (13 volunteers), percutaneous testosterone was replaced by oral testosterone undecanoate (160 mg daily). Only seven men were azoospermic and most of them had lowered levels of plasma testosterone. Thus, the combination of percutaneous testosterone and oral progestagens appears to be the most convenient for male hormonal contraception.

Prazosin, an adrenergic blocking agent inadequate as male contraceptive pill

The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and the acceptability of Prazosin as a male contraceptive pill. Acceptable antifertility drugs for men are proving difficult to produce, and the possibility of using pharmacological agents to block selectively or to inhibit normal sperm transport through the male genital tract is an interesting approach. Prazosin administered in doses up to 10 mg/day did not cause azoospermia following ejaculation. In conclusion, we have not been able to confirm either the efficacy or the acceptability of the alpha 1-adrenoceptor antagonist Prazosin as a male contraceptive drug. Homonnai et al. confirmed the fact that phenoxybenzamine blocks ejaculation, but it should be noted that although both drugs are alpha 1-adrenoceptor blocking agents, they are not chemically identical.

Large-scale resolution of gossypol enantiomers for biological evaluation

Gossypol has been resolved into its pure optical isomers by conversion into the Schiff's base derivative of (+)-phenylalanine methyl ester, normal or reverse phase chromatography and hydrolysis. Forty grams of pure (-)-gossypol has been prepared in a micronised form for assessment of its antifertility and toxicological effects.

Isolation of (-)-gossypol from natural plant

(-)-Gossypol has been isolated from cottonseed of G. barbadense L. Three Gossypium species were studied for the isolation. The study has also revealed a correlation between the optical activity of gossypol isolated and the species of cottonseed used. Gossypol isolated from the species G. barbadense is always found to be levorotatory caused by an excess of (-)-gossypol, whereas that from the species G. hirsutum is always dextrorotatory caused by an excess of (+)-gossypol. Results of most samples (cultivars) showed that optical purity of gossypol isolated from G. barbadense varied from 10-25%, while that from G. hirsutum varied from 10-20%. This is the first report of (-)-gossypol occurring naturally.