I was excited today to see an article outlining male contraceptives currently being researched.
For far too long women have had to interfere with their bodies’ natural processes and subject themselves to hormones and invasive procedures.
As much as research has shown that there is no problem with the current generation of hormonal contraceptives being taken long term, plus the many benefits (such as reduction in ovarian and uterine cancer, reduction in endometriosis, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and cysts), I can’t help but feel that it would be better to reduce the synthetic hormones women have to take.
The other option for women and/or couples who do not want to have any (more) children is sterilisation or a tubal ligation. This is a procedure that is extremely invasive and involves cutting or blocking the fallopian tubes accessible only by cutting into the abdominal cavity. This is a procedure that must be done in hospital under (usually) general anesthetic. The other alternative for these couples only would be vasectomy. This is the equivalent for men in that the Vas Deferens (the tube bringing sperm from the testicles to the penis) is cut to prevent the flow of sperm out of the body. In many ways this is the easier option as it can be done non-surgically, under local anesthetic and only takes a few minutes in the local doctor’s office. But no matter how many arguments I have had with men about vasectomy where I point out the logical reasons that it might be a better alternative than a tubal ligation, there seems to be a pervasive belief that it is a bad idea. This usually revolves around psychological ideas of ‘manhood’ and issues about what might happen if they split up with their wife and want more children. Most likely this could be argued from an evolutionary biological standpoint so strong that it overwhelms many men. Of course many men do have vasectomies, and this number has been rising with the current economic crisis for people who cannot afford to have children, and I am glad that there is an option available for these people.
The idea of a male hormonal contraceptive is also rife with problems. If the production of testosterone is interfered with then all kinds of issues arise related to androgens such as acne, mood changes, cholesterol issues, and the problem that up to 20% of men do not respond to this therapy. It is more complicated because women only release an egg about once a month, whereas men are continually making sperm from the moment they hit puberty until the day they die.
The new alternatives being researched today include non-hormonal methods for men. For example, Reversible Inhibition of Sperm Under Guidance which is an injected gel causing sperm to be unable to fertilise an egg; an Intra-Vas Device which works similar to a plug in the Vas Deferens and requires less cutting than a vasectomy - also reversible; and an enzyme inhibitor that binds to the head of the sperm making it unable to fertilise the egg.
It is a very exciting time in the birth control research field!
These methods will allow some of the burden to be taken off women’s bodies, many of whom are unhappy using hormonal contraceptives but do it for the majority of their reproductive lives because they see it as the best option available.
Once these methods are approved reproductive power within society will be much more egalitarian and this power can be given to men in ways that are less threatening or invasive to them than vasectomy – all in all a great way to reduce unwanted pregnancies and empower people (both men and women) to make good reproductive choices in their lives!
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