Male Birth Control News
1/10/2008
Is Male Birth Control a Possibility?
It has long been assumed that the responsibility for birth control lies with women. And for many years science has made the same assumption.
There are several reasons for the assumption that birth control is a woman’s responsibility. Medically, it’s easier to control one egg than it is to suppress thousands of sperm. Culturally, it’s not the man’s body that carries the child therefore it’s not his responsibility. And finally, in a sexual relationship, the woman has greater control over pregnancy due to menstruation (this point could be argued).
Currently, in comparison to birth control options available to women, male methods of birth control are limited. These are generally limited to condoms, vasectomies and ineffective methods such as withdrawal.
Now researchers are exploring male birth control methods that are similar to birth control for women. Hormonal birth control methods available to women include shots, birth control pills, rings, and the Ortho Evra patch. When used correctly these birth control methods are 99.6 percent effective.
The hormonal method of male birth control being researched involves shots of testosterone. Testosterone is delivered via injection. Once the pituitary gland recognizes that the testosterone levels are now too high it signals the testicles to slow production of testosterone.
The University of Washington’s Male Contraception Research Center’s John Amory and other researchers have found that these testosterone shots have reduced sperm production in two-thirds of men tested. And the process produced few side effects.
But in order for a testosterone injection birth control method for men to be produced it must be much more effective. Scientists believe a key to increasing the effectiveness of the testosterone shots may be the addition of the hormone progesterone.