We've been hearing in the news for years that male birth control is coming soon but nothing ever seems to manifest. I've read articles about hormonal contraception for men, but what guy wants to deal with those side effects when women have been agreeable to do it all this time? Hormonal birth control for men would likely have similar side effects: weight gain, acne, loss of libido. some even link hormonal birth control to cancer. I've read about injections into block flow through the vas deferens, essentially a less invasive alternative to a vasectomy.
Here's a new one:
Possible New Birth Control Method for Men
A group of scientists in Mexico is busy at work on a new birth control method for men that doesn't involve using hormones or sterilization.
It's not yet clear whether this new method would be a pill, cough syrup, injection, or something altogether different. But its developers have promised two things: The new contraceptive will have no major side effects and will only temporarily suspend a man's fertility.
If it works, the new method would offer an alternative to hormone-based male contraceptives with familiar side effects like wild mood swings, acne, and loss of sexual appetite. It might also mean that men could take a greater role in birth control responsibilities, which often fall primarily on women.
Here's how it would work:
The researchers -- biochemists and molecular biologists based at Mexico City's UNAM University -- say they have discovered two proteins that are unique to sperm cells, called CatSper and Slo3. These proteins essentially give sperm the energy they need to navigate a woman's ovaries and fertilize her eggs.
The scientists are now trying to develop a molecule that can disable CatSper and Slo3, thus depriving sperm cells of the mojo they need to do their jobs.
New contraceptive methods for males could be quite important in cattle ranching and fisheries, according to Dr. Alberto Darzon, the UNAM team's leader. But he added that human males could also use more options for birth control.
"Until now, there has been no male contraceptive method that has temporary effects and is efficient and safe," Darzon told the UNAM?s press office. "It's amazing that until now, society has placed on women the responsibility of dealing with the secondary effects of birth control methods. That is a clear sign of gender discrimination."
Of course, men could just keep using condoms, instead of taking birth control pills, injections or the like. But for those who want to be extra safe, or for those who have a long-term partner and dislike using condoms, alternative contraceptive methods like this one could be an attractive option.
What do you think? Should dudes share a greater portion of the birth control responsibilities with their female partners?
http://abcnews.go.com/ABC_Univision/...ry?id=19322179
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i know a tiny bit about how the whole reproductive process works. imo, it would make more sense if they could come up with some kind of inhibitor to the sperm's enzyme (the acrosome on the head of sperm) which allows it to penetrate the egg. messing with this 'mojo' confuses me a bit,
but the article is dumbed down so i'm not sure if they're actually saying this will some how affect the mitochondria of the sperm, mitochondria are where cells energy production happens. or if it would somehow alter the tail so the sperm couldn't propel themselves. i wish the article was more specific, for the nerds out there who want to know more.
so i'm interested in what the men folk think. would you take birth control? is it your responsibility, or is that strictly in the woman's court since we're the ones with wombs?
i'm also interested in what the ladies think, however. would you trust a guy to take a pill every day or would you still take birth control yourself? what about alternative, or non hormonal, measures? personally, a product would have to be on the market for a long time before i trusted that it worked, especially if it was something like the article above where they're just trying to steal a sperm's "mojo."