Male contraceptive is "nearly as good as the pill".

A new male contraceptive injection has been found to be nearly as good as the pill, but trials were stopped because of side effects.

The two-hormone injection, which was used to reduce sperm production, was almost 96 per cent effective in a study of 350 men.

“If you’re comparing it to other reversible male methods, it’s far better than the condom and it puts it in the same ballpark as the pill,” Professor Richard Anderson, author of the study, told The Guardian.

Contraceptive pills are 97 – 99 per cent effective in preventing pregnancy if taken correctly every day.

The jab suppressed male sperm count to 1 million or less, with a combination of progesterone and a form of testosterone, every eight weeks, for 24 weeks.

“The contraceptive efficacy was relatively good compared with other reversible methods available for men,” the study concluded.

However, the study was halted early due to bad side effects including acne, injection site pain, increased libido, and mood disorders.

Out of around 270 participants, four female partners fell pregnant.

But experts are confident the male contraceptive shows “promise” despite concerns over the side effects.

“It is noteworthy that 75 per cent of the men who took part in the trial would be willing to use this method of contraception again,” Allan Pacey, professor of andrology at the University of Sheffield told The BBC.

“So perhaps the side-effects weren’t all that bad after all.”

Pharmacist, Jarrod McMaugh, says we are still “long way off” a male injection being available but he thinks it could be a useful method of birth control.

“Women can access this option now in the form of progesterone now, so it would seem reasonable that men who are motivated to use a long-term hormonal contraception would be able to utilise this method,” he said.

The study comes at a time when the number of contraceptive methods for women has expanded but options for men to control their own fertility remain limited.

“While a contraceptive method that men take responsibility for is going to be a great thing – for short-term encounters and casual sex, I think everyone would recommend a barrier method, since this is the only manner in which an STI can be prevented,” said Mr McMaugh.

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