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dandaman6007
dandaman6007Wednesday, June 30, 2010 at 10:16:00 PM EDT
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When the birth control pill came out in 1960, it was revolutionary because women could take charge and control their fertility. For the last 50 years, women have had numerous hormonal products available to control when they can become pregnant, and the only options for men have been getting surgery or using a condom. The challenge in creating male birth control pills is that women make one egg a month, whereas men produce about 1,000 sperm every second. So scientists have been working for about 30 years to create a male for of birth control, and they finally succeeded.
So this is big news. In as little as three years, guys could take a pill once a month that makes them temporarily sterile, with no side effects. This could have very significant, positive effects on the pregnancy rates of young people. However, one drawback is that like the female birth control pill, the male pill doesn’t prevent against STI’s, including HIV. This means that when the pill becomes available, men will need to understand that they can’t take a magical pill once a month and have as much condom-free sex as they want. Protecting against STI's is critically important, and condoms should always be worn during sex.Researchers in Israel have finally been able to create an oral pill that deactivates sperm before they reach the womb. And they’ve developed a version that means it only needs to be to be taken once every three months.
The breakthrough pill could be available in as little as three years, according to the scientist behind the discovery.
Unlike the jab form of the male pill it doesn’t use a combination of the male hormone testosterone and the female hormone progesterone to block pregnancy. The scientist behind the male pill discovery has developed a tablet that removes a vital protein in sperm that is required for a woman to conceive.
So while sperm still get through to the uterus they are unable to fertilize an egg. Using this approach, researchers believe they have a pill that is 100 percent effective at stopping pregnancy.
Not only is it long lasting but it also has other pluses. There are no side effects as suffered by women who take the contraceptive pill. (via Telegraph UK)
Here is why this is a big deal: As unfair as it is, there is less stigma attached to men obtaining birth control as there is for women. I am in high school, and there is a lot of assumptions people have when they find out a girl is on birth control. While everyone’s first thought should be “great! This girl cares about her body and her future and is taking steps to protect herself,” we do not live in a perfect world and many people’s first thoughts are “how slutty IS she…” or “isn’t she too young to be on birth control?” Sometimes, because of this stigma, young women are afraid to either go to the doctor or ask their parents for the pill. With guys, however, there are fewer stigmas attached to having birth control, as guys are considered players and super cool if they have a lot of sex. So perhaps if there were a male form of birth control, most sexually active young males would take it. If they used the pill as well as a condom, it would be almost impossible to have an unplanned pregnancy.
This could mean a new era of sexual health, where fewer unplanned pregnancies occur. Perhaps it will be easier to get guys to take the pill, resulting in every sexually active male taking this new product. What do YOU think this means? How will a male contraceptive pill change and/or improve sexual health?
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I think stigma against a perceived suppression of virility (a factor I have heard even men in extremely liberal and rational circles bring up) could be one barrier, but I honestly hope it will disappear as this product enters the market and in the years to come.
Biologically speaking, whenever a man ejaculates his semen contains 100 million sperm (i think it may be more, but I'm going conservative for the sake of the math). So if this method is 99% effective, there are still a million sperm released, which is means there are a million potential babies resulting from that coitus.
While yes, if a couple doubles up on methods ("his and her" birth control, if you will), and it was always used properly, then yes, it could be a good thing. But you get the same thing at less cost and less of the whole "fooling around with your biochemistry" aspect of it by using condoms. The male birth control pill will NEVER be a good choice for birth control unto itself.