The Page Laboratory

Research in the Page laboratory is dedicated to developing the first hormonal form of contraception for men. An estimated 40% of pregnancies are unplanned, with a total of 87 million unintended pregnancies worldwide each year. Contraception options for men remain quite limited, and the development of hormonal forms of contraception for men could prove a key strategy for ameliorating this global public health problem. Dr. Page performs clinical studies testing novel hormonal contraceptive regimens for men that are designed to suppress sperm production while maintaining adequate androgen exposure to prevent the adverse effects of low testosterone.

Her pioneering work has included Phase I and II studies establishing the safety and efficacy of the synthetic male hormone dimethandrolone undeconoate (DMAU), a hormone developed through the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Dr. Page’s research group is currently conducting early stage clinical trials of DMAU in both injectable and oral formulations. Further, her group is one of 3 selected worldwide to initiate a clinical study testing the efficacy of a contraceptive gel comprising testosterone and the progestin segesterone acetate. The gel confers completely reversible suppression of sperm production, and this study will be the first to examine a self-delivered form of hormonal contraception for men.

Together with the contraception clinical trial team at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center led by Dr. Christina Wang, MD, Dr. Page’s group constitutes a cornerstone of the Contraceptive Clinical Trial Network funded by the NICHD. Their work could lead to the prevention of millions of unplanned pregnancies and has been highlighted in the local and national news media, including CNN, NBC News, KOMO news, NPR, and Time.