Dr. Joseph C. Hall credits his wife as the driving force that has kept him involved in research for nearly two decades to develop a male birth control pill.

In the early 1990s Hall and his wife, who had just had their sixth child, were discussing who should get surgery to prevent more pregnancies when Mrs. Hall gave her husband a challenge, “‘You’re the chemist, you come up with something,’” he recalls.

Since then, Hall, an associate professor of chemistry at Norfolk State University in Virginia, has applied his expertise in isolating the enzymes involved in fertilization. In computer simulated models, Hall and his team have inhibited the activity of four enzymes that aid in conception.

“We have to synthesize it and then test it,” Hall says of the barrier method.

The goal is to create a pill, that when taken by men, would essentially “blind” their sperm, making it impossible for them to identify and penetrate an egg.

For years researchers worldwide have sought to create effective and reliable male contraception beyond condoms and surgery. British scientists are currently working on a form of birth control that would prevent men from ejaculating.

Hall’s method, however, would not affect reproductive functioning or manipulate hormones in the body. He estimates his pill is at least five years away from being sold on the market.

“We have done no trials yet,” Hall says. “We are patenting the compound before we start clinical trials on it.”

Dr. Adrian Dobs, a professor of medicine and oncology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, says the development of a male birth control pill “would just be revolutionary; similar to when oral contraceptives came out for women.”

She notes that the World Health Organization views male contraception as a means of addressing family planning needs in various parts of the world.

“There are many stable relationships and marriages where this would be a wonderful option,” Dobs says.