4 Reasons Why There Shouldn’t be a Male Birth Control Pill

Amanda — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:04:00 +0000

There’s been ongoing interest over the possibility of a male contraceptive. Every few years a new discovery appears and it convinces us that we are closer to a birth control pill for men. For the first time, a safe, reversible, and effective male contraceptive has become a reality. Within the near future, several types of male birth control may become available to the average man. Soon men will be able to have the same options as women including a daily birth control pill, a patch or gel applied to the skin, and injection given every three months, or an implant under the skin every twelve months.

Seattle researchers claim that the availability of male contraceptives depends on how funding continues. The technology is available and it is understood how a hormonal male contraceptive will work.

Sure, this may be a great thing for women – we no longer have to remember the pill or suffer from awful side effects – but when you really think about it, a male contraceptive might not be such a good thing.

1. A new excuse to get you into bed – Some men might use male contraceptives as an excuse to get in your pants. The same men that lie about pulling out will lie about being on the pill.

2. Will they remember to take it – If you can’t trust your man to remember to pick up milk on the way home or buy condoms when you run out, how will you know if he remembered to take the pill?

3. An increase in STIs – Its been speculated that the approval of a male contraceptive might increase the spread of sexually transmitted infections. The pill won’t protect you from STIs – and if you’re both on the pill, why would you need a backup condom?

4. Decreased pregnancy rates – By putting men in control, couples may not be getting married having children as early in life. Women tend to want children more than men and they want to “move forward” in relationships. Men forget that the main reason for sex is procreation. Someone wrote in reply to the idea of a male birth control “[Male contraceptives] with the simultaneous invention of a time-travel machine, will result in 90% of us not being born”

There’s no telling whether or not men will even use a hormonal contraceptive, however its safe to say – don’t trust a man to do a woman’s job.

Birth Control Buzz is a service company that provides birth control prices, types of birth control(prescription required), health administrative services, and birth control statistics predominantly to US patients seeking to purchase pharmaceuticals on-line. For more information, call 1-866-868-8850 or visit http://www.birthcontrolbuzz.com/.

Are men getting their own birth control pill?

Ashlynn — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 09:52:00 +0000

Primarily men have two options when it comes to birth control: using a condom or getting a vasectomy. Some men complain about lack of sensation while using a condom during intercourse, and for others having the surgery isn’t exactly on the top of their “to do” list (not to mention the second surgical procedure required if they decide they want to reverse it).

But not all is lost. According to the latest research a male birth control pill may be on the market soon, allowing men to take a more progressive role in contraception use.

So what took so long? One reason is the utter lack of interest (and funding) from the pharmaceutical companies. This lack of funding has made it hard to entice talent to the field: In total, there are only about 10 specialists in male contraception in this country. The other (more obvious) reason is that men and women’s bodies are, well, different.

Birth control pills for women contain synthetic forms of estrogen and progesterone, which prevent the ovaries every month from releasing an egg for fertilization. But, and you knew there was going to be a “but”, instead of releasing just one egg during monthly ovulation, men release about 120 million sperm with each ejaculation which in turn makes it more difficult to control.

So how will the male pill work you ask? Well it’s all about that uber-macho hormone testosterone, which is responsible for sperm production in the testes, hair growth, muscle mass and sexual characteristics. If a man is given extra testosterone it could shut down sperm production. Normally, at the start of the sperm-production cycle, the hypothalamus in the brain releases gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), which triggers the release of fertility hormones called gonadotropins (FSH and ICSH) from the pituitary gland. ICSH signals the testes to produce testosterone, and FSH and testosterone tell the testes to produce sperm. When sperm production is complete, the testes release testosterone and a hormone called inhibin into the body, which tells the brain that there’s enough sperm. This stops the release of sperm-producing hormones.

Sounds great? Well just like female birth control pills there can be unwanted side effects. The problem is that by giving a man the amount of testosterone necessary to suppress sperm production, it can also cause acne, weight gain, prostate-gland growth and abnormal liver function.

That’s why scientists are also looking at a combination pill of testosterone and another hormone, progesterone (also found in female birth control pills). In men, progesterone inhibits sperm production in the testes. The drawback is that it can also affect those two things so intrinsic to the male psyche: their sexuality and sexual characteristics. To counteract the effects of progesterone injections of testosterone must also be administered to maintain those vital characteristics.

There is only one burning question, will men take it? According to a survey of 2,000 men in Capetown, Edinburgh, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, 67% were interested in some form of hormonal birth control. It also showed that men were ready to take on more responsibility for contraception usage and took into account their partner’s needs.

Researchers estimate that a male type of birth control should be available in about five years, but it will most likely be in the form of an injection or implant. As for a male birth control pill, the future is a little cloudy.

BirthControlBuzz is a service company that provides birth control prices, birth control types (prescription required), health administrative services, and birth control statistics predominantly to US patients seeking to purchase birth control on-line. For more information on types of birth control call 1-866-868-8850 or visit http://www.birthcontrolbuzz.com/.

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4 Reasons Why There Shouldn’t be a Male Birth Control Pill

Are men getting their own birth control pill?