Science finds secret to Male Birth Control

[Levure Marycurse]

I haven't seen a thread on this, though I guess I didn't really know where to look.
I thought this site would be appropriate to share it on, since its more relevant to the interest of many members here I imagine.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/scientists-may-found-secret-male-birth-control-pill-212951534.html

Now men can share in birth control. "The Pill"? I'll take one if you do. Lol.
So... if both partners were free of STDs and took their respective birth controls there should be very little need for condoms anymore.

The only downside I see is the potential to cause cancer... It was developed with cancer in mind afterall. Sure it was intended to work AGAINST cancer, but its still messing with the idea of it.

But it sounds almost too perfect. Just take the pill, sperm goes away or withers becoming ineffective then just comes back after a while of not taking the pill?
I'm sure there is something dark and sinister about it waiting to crop up in testing.
*shrug* not my problem though.

 

[Michsaikou]

That's a big downside. Like huge.

 

[Hahvoc The Decepticon]

This seems a little more than a GD discussion so I'm gonna move it to Academy.

 

[CyanideDisaster]

I see this ending in wide-spread infertility.

Though, that really isn't too much of a problem so long as it can't be passed along. We are overpopulated as is, so maybe thinning the herd is a good idea. But I'm very much "the end justifies the means" kind of person. So, lots of infertility, they just adopt, clear up the orphanages and things like that... but perhaps I'm an idealist?

But would it be awesome if it did work? Yes. Then women couldn't go "Ha Ha didn't take my pill and now we have a child." when the other partner didn't want one. I wish everyone was in charge of their own reproduction like that... less children born to people who don't really want them.

 

[Hahvoc The Decepticon]

This doesn't seem like it would end in infertility since they said that that part is reversible. But that also depends on how it affects human sperm.

However, it's only the first male birth control pill.

There is already male birth control to be put into the market. It's two or three shots and is effective for ten years or some such thing. It was pretty interesting and most people recommended having it done to young boys between 10-14. It's reversible as well. They said it could keep the problem of women having to be on birth control since there are a lot of side effects to women taking it, while there are no side effects for men to deal with.

 

[Eturnsdale]

Umm. That shot is required WEEKLY.

What is it? Steroids. How does it work? It tricks the body into believing that there is enough testosterone in the body, so the body stops producing it, and in turn slows and in some cases stops sperm production.

How could this possibly be bad you ask? As we know from other long term steroids users, the body gets used to having it's testosterone provided and eventually forever looses the ability to produce it. Long term steroids use in teens does heighten the risk that the body will loose the ability to produce it later in life.

 

[Hahvoc The Decepticon]

http://www.nerve.com/news/love-sex/new-male-birth-control-procedure-100-effective-and-last-10-years

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/03/male-birth-control-reversible_n_1400708.html

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/04/ff_vasectomy/

http://www.womensforum.com/birth-control-shot-for-men.html

http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/science-invented-a-birth-control-shot-for-men-so-why-does-nobody-seem-to-care-2494169.html

In pretty much all of the articles I've found, it's not a weekly shot. In most of them, it's a 15 minute procedure. In one of the other ones, it's something to be taken every 8 weeks.

Also- the shot doesn't contain a steroid. It contains a polymer gel. Hormones don't exactly = steroids. Otherwise, women wouldn't be able to get off of birth control.

 

[Eturnsdale]

From your link from the woman's forum.

How does the new male contraceptive work? The birth control shot for men contains the hormone testosterone. The extra testosterone in the injection causes the testicles to stop producing testosterone themselves since the body thinks that there is plenty of testosterone already in the blood.

The reason long term steroid users have to take testosterone supplements after they get off anabolic steroids is because their body got used to having it's testosterone provided to them.

Apparently the shot that I am talking about and the shot you are talking about are two completely different shots.

But anyway, you reference like two or three different shots. the one I spoke of requires a weekly shot (the same one spoken of on the woman's forum). And, from the guys I know, good luck getting many of them to take a shot in the dick.

This one is the one referenced in the blog on the woman's forum.

research has shown that about 67% of the men tested had their sperm count rise to normal within six months (with nearly all the men reaching normal sperm within a year). Also, the shots appear to have no side effects.

Well, pay special attention to the wording there. No side effects but (with nearly all the men reaching normal sperm within a year) Id call that a side effect.

They have found the use of steroid hormones called androgens, primarily responsible for controlling the development and maintenance of masculine characteristics, have also been shown to lower sperm count without any change in libido, potency, or the ability to get an erection and achieve orgasm.

 

[Hahvoc The Decepticon]

Considering it's supposed to stop sperm production on purpose, I wouldn't really call that a side effect.

And yes, I see, it says steroids, but it's not even close to the same dosage most muscle builders use. Those high dosages shrink the testicles and produce so much testosterone that they get 'roid rage and can't function properly because they've destroyed their systems. This isn't even close to the same amount since it is injected directly into the testicles instead of being swallowed and spreading through the body.

But if you are going to call that [nearly within a year] a side effect, then what about what happens with women? Is that not a side effect? You seem to be making it out to be that all guys who take this will suddenly become infertile and unable to produce their own testosterone which I find hard to believe. Female birth control is must more damaging and if some men would rather take a few pricks to the testicles so their wife/girlfriend/SO doesn't have to take birth control? I think some would definitely choose to do so since there is much less risk to them than their ladyfriend.

Every shot produced will have slight variances since you can't copy what another scientist has done without their explicit permission and citation on their research. So some shots won't work as well while others will. The shot produced in India was the main one I was focusing since it's already been tested in enough trials to be tested in the US. The reason no one is really focusing on it is because it could destroy the female birth control industry. But I digress.

It seems like we're focusing on two very different things.

 

[Eturnsdale]

It is used in high enough dosages to confuse the body into not producing it, and so there is the likelihood that the long term damage can be similar.

Yes, I know of the hazards that can come from birth control. Which is why I shopped around and found what works for me. Maybe I am just different. But I feel that if I want to be in complete control of my reproductive rights then I also need to take full responsibility for them. As you may have realized, I hate double standards.

I never said that women's birth control is without risk. I only stated that the "no side effect" claim about the shot is blatantly false.

But anyway. Only the "Indian shot" you spoke to is injected directly into the penis, or testes (depending on which version you want to talk about). The other shots are injected elsewhere (much like they are in other steroid usage).

 

[Firm Master]

It's a shame that these types of "breakthroughs" happen all the time, but largely no male birth control exists in the form of a pill. It reminds me of the plethora of breakthroughs for HIV that never hit the market for whatever reason.
It'd be nice to be able to use such a thing, though. On the other hand, if a woman wants to get pregnant, she'll find someone else to do the job and you still get that baby you were trying to avoid.