Male birth control on the way…Jessica uses as chance to feature goofy sperm pic

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The Associated Press reported today on a new form of contraception for men—given in a shot—that “prompts an immune reaction to a protein produced in the male reproductive system.”

“Immunocontraception,” which is now being tested on male monkeys, may be available within the next several years for humans. It works by preventing sperm from leaving the seminal fluid, so it can’t ever make its way to the uterus.

Essentially, it’s a vaccine against sperm, which is cool cause most attempts to create a male contraceptive have focused on shifting the level of hormones, which creates some nasty side effects.

A Nature.com news piece says that this vaccine form of contraception could “be advantageous if it takes less time than hormonal treatments to kick in, and leaves sperm production intact.”

The AP reports that in the experiments on male monkeys, “most” regained their fertility. I don’t know if men are going to be willing to take that kind of chance though. Any men-folk want to give their input on this one? Would you be willing to get a shot that according to the best article title ever, “cripples” your sperm?

Posted by Jessica - November 12, 2004, at 02:32PM | in Health , News , Reproductive Rights

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13 Comments

November 12, 2004 4:36 PM

[0+|0-] Jeff said:

If there was a significant chance I wouldn't regain my fertility, then no, I wouldn't do it.

If it was like the pill, and stopping taking it would lead to me returning to normal or thereabouts, then I would.

But I also wouldn't go for being one of the first men to try the pill or the shot or whatever it would be coming in.

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November 13, 2004 8:39 AM

[0+|0-] B.D. said:

Yes, I'd do it. In a heartbeat. As long as the test data showed no other side effects, I'd volunteer for the human test - even if there is a risk that my fertility never returned.

Whether it's a pill or a shot, someone is going to have to be a test subject for the male contraceptive. We're way past due to have some form of male contraceptive on the market. As I'm not planning on having children anyhow, I'd be happy to test the product.

And, you're right...that is the best article title ever.

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November 14, 2004 2:46 AM

[0+|0-] RepubAnon said:

Sounds like getting a vasectomy via a shot rather than a snip. Anyone considering the one would be willing to take the other

The real issue, of course, is how many men would lie about having had "the shot." Too many women of my acquaintance got pregnant after sex with men claiming to have had vasectomies. Turns out, of course, those men had lied about having had a vasectomy.

On the other hand, it IS a form of birth control that doesn't interfere with a fertilized egg's implantation. The anti-sex brigades would need to find some other twisted logic to advocate banning it (which, of course, they will.)

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November 15, 2004 7:27 AM

[0+|0-] B.D. said:

Regarding lying about the shot: Good point. If I were a woman, then I wouldn't trust the man either. Still, it would provide men with another option (if it works, it would be reversable, unlike many a vasectomy, and it would add to condoms as an option) to take control of their lives and reproduction.

We've all heard the stories about men who thought that their lovers were on the pill only to find out that she's pregnant. Granted, those men should have been wearing a condom to be certain, but having this shot would give them another method of protecting themselves from such issues just as the pill does the same for women, who also have the option of the condom.

To my mind, men and women need to take responsibility for their actions and an expansion of birth control options primarily aids the gender for whom the option was designed in taking that responsibility.

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November 15, 2004 12:22 PM

[0+|0-] Ron O said:

As I said to my bethrothed, "I wouldn't want to be a guinea pig before we've had kids." After, I'll probably just get a vasectomy, because then I can just forget about it. They are reversable now too.

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July 16, 2008 11:17 PM

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Mina said:

The first link was dead, the second went to a subscription-only site, and now I wonder if either article mentioned RISUG (see http://www.malecontraceptives.org/methods/risug.php for an intro and some citations). Men in clinical studies have been using it since 1990.

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