Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Male contraceptive.

Well now, and how do we all feel about this?

"Scientists have developed a male contraceptive which was 100% effective and side-effect free in trials.
The hormonal treatment is a combination of an implant under the skin and injections - meaning men do not have to remember to take a pill every day.

Researchers from the Anzac Research Institute, Sydney, Australia, gave the treatment to a relatively small sample of 55 men for a year - and none of their partners became pregnant.

However, it will be some time before the treatment is widely available.
'We welcome any advance in contraception, and particularly those that broaden the options for men to take responsibility'
Liz Davies, Marie Stopes International
The treatment is a combination of an implant containing the male sex hormone testosterone, which was replaced every four months, and a three-monthly injection of a progestin, a hormone used in female contraceptive pills.

The reversible treatment works by making use of the body's own natural system which is involved in initiating puberty.

The combination of the two hormones temporarily turns off the normal signals from the brain that stimulate sperm production.

But the process also turns off the man's own testosterone production - so he needs to be given extra doses of the hormone to keep him healthy and maintain his sex drive.

In the study, none of the couples used any other form of contraception, and no serious side effects were seen.

Once the treatment was stopped, normal fertility levels returned within a few months."

Well? Is this a break through. Would the men take it? Would women trust men to take care of their birth control? I think I would have reservations leaving my womb and its rental space in the hands of any man.

16 Comments:

Blogger SheBah said...

It does give men a choice - they will no longer be able to claim they were tricked into becoming a father, as they have a chance to properly share responsibility. I do know women who have deliberately got pregnant to hang on to a failing relationship. It seems fair that both men and women have the option to avoid accidental parenthood.

10:37 a.m.  
Blogger fatmammycat said...

I think they should have the option too, but I don't think I would ever leave it only in the man's hand.
It has never ceased to amaze me why any woman would think having a baby would fix a relationship. I mean being pregnant is stressful enough and new borns put a bit a strain on most parents- I'm going by my older sister here- so why in the name of god would a person try have one on already shaky ground?

10:49 a.m.  
Blogger SheBah said...

To hang on to her man? It works sometimes, but it is the worst form of blackmail, as the majority of decent men would want to be part of their child's life. I really do believe it should be a mutual choice, but like you, I wouldn't leave it entirely up to the guy!

11:00 a.m.  
Blogger fatmammycat said...

I dunno, if some guy only stayed with me because I was pregnant I don't think I'd ever be secure in that relationship. But different strokes for different folk I guess.

11:18 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'd do it, but it'd only really be useful in a relationship. You'd still need a condom for an oul one-nighter.

12:21 p.m.  
Blogger fatmammycat said...

You do if you want your winkle to stay all pink and fluffy...er you know what I mean.

12:30 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm not a great believer in any drug (for man or woman) that suppresses a natural function. It intentionally creates an imbalance, and the possibility of unforeseen complications. Kav's right about the rubbers.

And there you go on about 'winkles' again... a winkle is something you pick off a rock at low tide, boil in seawater, and eat the innards after you extract them with a pin. It is therefore not a suitable pet name for a gentleman's bits, especially since winkles are very small. I'm a whelk of a man meself, and I'm sure Kav is too!

2:12 p.m.  
Blogger fatmammycat said...

Shure y'all are. Naturally.
I agree that there are risks. A friend of mine used the Depo Prevara hormone injection for years, and then last year when she came off it to have children with her hubby she discovered all these articles about side effects and how it might take a considerable time for her fertility to return to normal. Well she's still trying eighteen months later and nowt.
I'm not saying this is the norm, but it certainly mmakes a gal think.

2:41 p.m.  
Blogger Green Ink said...

This might reduce bedroom strife: apparently it produces a dry orgasm in the man, thus saving on arguments over who sleeps on the damp patch.

2:57 p.m.  
Blogger fatmammycat said...

Dry orgasms? Wouldn't that be like lighting the rocket and watching the fuse burn out?
I've gotta go for a run, I'll be pondering that one about the park.

3:18 p.m.  
Blogger Greg Finnegan said...

There already is a male contraceptive pill. It's the aspirin.

When the wife says, "Not this decade, dearie; I've got a headache", SHE takes the aspirin and HE is contracepted.

As Catholics, we also used birth control pills with the Church's blessing. Didn't take 'em internally; she just held one tightly between her knees.

4:43 p.m.  
Blogger fatmammycat said...

It's the rhythm method for us Catholics Greg old boy, although what's a chap supposed to do if his jiggy ain't exactly with it.

4:50 p.m.  
Blogger Foot Eater said...

I wouldn't want to take it; I squirm at the thought of taking hormones. Am I a hypocrite? Yes.

8:09 p.m.  
Blogger Foot Eater said...

Then again, I practise birth control by leaving the light on.

8:10 p.m.  
Blogger fatmammycat said...

How delightfully... intrepid of you Footie.

11:15 p.m.  
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12:54 p.m.  

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