What you didn't know about male contraception
- Kate Moore
- Feb 5, 2017
- 1 min read
The contraceptive pill. Image by lookcatalog on Flickr / cc0 (CC BY 2.0)
It’s been 50 years since Gregory Pincus, who co-invented the female contraceptive pill, began testing the same hormonal approach on men.
Here’s a look at five facts about the male contraceptive:
1. One potential method is the Clean Sheets Pill, which means orgasm would still occur, but ejaculation would be prevented.
2. In the 5th century B.C., Hippocrates had some success with heating a man's testicles in a hot bath, while Greek physicians found that that drinking juice made from cannabis would reduce sexual potency and cut sperm counts in half.
3. The latest contraceptive to be tested is Vasalgel, an injection which cuts sperm production down to less than one million sperm per millilitre, which is considered clinically infertile. According to the World Health Organisation, the typical fertile man has about 15 million sperm per millilitre of semen, or 39 million sperm per ejaculation.
4. Drug companies think it's too financially risky. Even though certain male contraceptives have shown promise their funding has been pulled because of profitability concerns.
5. A study by Voucher Codes Pro looking at the UK’s views on contraception shows that only 11 per cent of British men would take a male contraceptive pill. This is mainly due to its potential side effects. Thankfully, women on birth control only report experiencing acne, mood swings, depression, cramping, nausea, vomiting, breast tenderness, bleeding between periods, weight gain, and changes in sexual desire.
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