New York, New York - A new form of male contraception may soon become a reality as a prototype has seen promising results in tests.

In a study, ironically published on Valentine's Day, researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine found that the pill "temporarily stops sperm in their tracks and prevents pregnancies in preclinical models."

"At present, preventing unintended pregnancies is largely the province of women," the study notes. "Of all modern contraceptive methods available, all but two are for women. The contraceptive choices for men are condoms or vasectomy, both of which have limitations which make them unsuitable for many men."

The drug, currently called TDI-11861, was unintentionally discovered by Dr. Melanie Balbach in 2018 while researching a protein called soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC).

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When given to male mice, the protein caused their sperm to become immobile after 39 minutes for about two and a half hours. After three hours, sperm movement began again, and after 24 hours, the drug had worn off.

Tests also show that the drug does not affect testosterone levels or cause male hormone deficiency.

If tests on humans show similar results, users will be able to take the pill an hour before sex, paying attention to the time for when the effects subside, which is a much simpler method than current male contraceptive models.

Researchers say many more tests are needed before moving to human subjects.