Possible Male Contraceptive Pill On The Way?

[alexanderswift]

US researchers have stumbled upon a compound that may finally lead to a birth control pill for men.
In lab experiments, male mice given the pill were rendered completely infertile during treatment as they produced fewer and less mobile sperm. The drug, originally tested as part of a broader cancer research project, does not affect the hormone system or sex drive, according to the researchers.
"There is no effect on the mouse's mojo. The animals exhibit the normal sexual behaviours and frequency of copulation," says Dr James Bradner of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, whose study appears in the journal Cell.
What's more, the effect is completely reversible. Once doctors stopped giving the drug to mice, they were able to sire healthy litters, with no apparent side effects, says Bradner.
Scientists say the research is exciting because it applies a unique approach to the problem of male contraception, which is now largely comprised of less reliable methods like condom use, or more permanent procedures like vasectomies.

Article here

Very interesting stuff, although.

Professor Robert McLachlan, Director of Clinical Research at Prince Henry's Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne adds that it will be sometime before it is likely to be used in humans.
"The development of a potential contraceptive is a very long and arduous process leading up to the first human studies," says McLachlan.
"It will be fascinating to see how the drug evolves, but we know that such pipelines may require 15 years of evaluation and there are many potential pitfalls along the journey."

Either way it's pretty cool, even if it does take a long time, it's a good project.

[Menelik_I]

Article here

Very interesting stuff, although.


Either way it's pretty cool, even if it does take a long time, it's a good project.

Scientifically it would be an achievement, but I don't think that it is going to work at the social level when people are going to use it because Rich countries like Israel and Japan have a problem of lack of male fertility so there won't either be a demand for this pill or they are going to accelerate the demographic cliff.

At other hand giving young males in the 3rd world a pill that enables them to avoid to get girl pregnant , you are going to great a incentive for unprotected sex and exacerbate the AIDS/STD crisis.
The reason is that in those countries condoms are also a means of birth control that young man use, because contrarily to Western countries pregnancy is a couple matter, because families require their underage girls to marry the babies father. So young people have a big incentive to use condoms from fear of pregnancies beside not wanting to get AIDS.

Compounding this battle between a high flying job versus a family is a culture somewhat void of sexualisation. It is unlikely that, on a stroll through Tokyo, you will come across much imagery that is overtly sexual. In contrast with the west, sex doesn’t sell in Japan. Among males 16 to 19 year old, 36% have no interest in sex, and some even despise it. The figure is even higher (59%) for females in the same age category. These respondents often cite greater interest in comics, computer games and socialising through the internet. A low level of cultural sexualisation is not without its benefits; the rape rate is one of the lowest in the world.

http://hotair.com/headlines/archives...oo-little-sex/

So the drop in the quality of sperm is raising some red flags, even though the cause remains a mystery. Speculative theories range from the mundane (carrying cellphones in front pockets) to the far-fetched (depleted uranium from exploded munitions). Some Israeli scientists are looking seriously at naturally occurring hormones, particularly estrogen, in Israel’s water and milk and suggest that it’s a mark of the country’s aggressive dairy farming methods…

When Har-Nir helped launch the sperm bank in 1991, she says, it turned away about a third of the applicants for low quality. Using the same standard today, it would reject more than 80%. Though the bank relaxed its criteria, it still vetoes about two-thirds.

http://hotair.com/headlines/archives...-is-the-trend/

The effect of the pill will be more interesting than the pill itself.

My guess would be an increase in AIDS in the third world and an accelerated plummeting of fertility in the West .

[alexanderswift]

The effect of the pill will be more interesting than the pill itself.

Indeed, but if it does work on humans without any side effects it would be very impressive. The commercial value is questionable but I imagine it would still be sold and bought throughout most of the world.

[CtrlAltDe1337]

My guess would be an increase in AIDS in the third world and an accelerated plummeting of fertility in the West .

Translation: China becomes ruler of the world?

[Akrotatos]

Why is it so difficult to wear a rubber these days?

[I WUB PUGS]

Why is it so difficult to wear a rubber these days?

Because it feels like a rubber.

I welcome this pill since it is easier to make the sperm docile than it is to deal the hormonal nightmare that is the female body. Many American women loathe "the pill" because it can cause weight gain.

If this gets approved, I'll probably get it. I have 3 kids, I don't need anymore.

Phier, chest hair has been back in for a little while now. I'm afraid I don't know what to do with skinny jeans and waify limp wristed dudes claiming to be straight though.

[Akrotatos]

Because it feels like a rubber.

Well obviously unprotected sex feels better but when I compare the pleasure to STDs and kids I find that condoms feel well enough. Especially those extra-thin ones.

Anyway, I wouldn't take that pill unless I already had children, we don't know how laptops, computers etc affect sperm we don't need to weaken it further.

[Adar]

I think the real winners here are committed couples where the female is unable to take the pill due to side effects. Any girl trusting a drunk guy saying "Na I take the pill" is likely to end up with trouble.

Of course they haven't really tested it for side effects yet so this may be even worse than current pills but that is for the future to see.

[I WUB PUGS]

Well obviously unprotected sex feels better but when I compare the pleasure to STDs and kids I find that condoms feel well enough. Especially those extra-thin ones.

Anyway, I wouldn't take that pill unless I already had children, we don't know how laptops, computers etc affect sperm we don't need to weaken it further.

Laptops? Computers?

Here, they don't do anything, but what is widely rumored to?

RF

I've worked in Satellite Communications for nearly 5 years now and it's kind of a running joke in the RF world (so microwaves, radar, satcomm, etc) that those of us that work around the actual transmissions can only have girls.

I have 3 girls.



























.... however only one of them was born after I started working with RF. I doubt your laptop is going to mess up your sperm unless you have it on your lap..... heat is bad for sperm.


Here is another option that is available:
http://www.askmen.com/sports/health_...you-do-it.html

[Lord Baal]

I think is interesting to avoid a pregnancy. Since I'm monogamous I have no issue with the AIDS thing. On the other hand I wouldn't be with any other girl on the street without a rubber, ever. I don't know Akrotatos, but it seems wearing a rubber is something a lot of people consider really difficult, the morons.

[alexanderswift]

I think is interesting to avoid a pregnancy. Since I'm monogamous I have no issue with the AIDS thing. On the other hand I wouldn't be with any other girl on the street without a rubber, ever. I don't know Akrotatos, but it seems wearing a rubber is something a lot of people consider really difficult, the morons.

I would hazard a guess the issue comes from just being unprepared.
I.E. you go out without expecting to need a condom so you don't bring one and when it happens you go ahead anyway.

[Menelik_I]

I would hazard a guess the issue comes from just being unprepared.
I.E. you go out without expecting to need a condom so you don't bring one and when it happens you go ahead anyway.

Yes that seems to a big problem, but another variant that is also common if for people to walk with only one condom in pocket, so when that one breaks by accident they just carry on anyway. A shame really that so many problems are caused by lack basic planning (always carry 3 on your person, have some in your backpack, your car, your office and your house).

My fear is that a male pill will just make young men e even lazier in their use of condoms, thinking that since the most likely risk is off (pregnancy), they can play lottery with AIDS because it is relatively less likely.

[Lord Baal]

The best use of this is as with other anti conceptive methods. There's no kill like overkill! My girl uses the pill and I use rubbers, some people might think is over doing it but when we are out of rubbers then we can have the fact that she takes the pills as backup. Besides we use funny rubbers, not the simple boring ones. It adds variety and fun to something that is already the happiest place on earth, so why not?

It's well known that contra conceptive methods works better when combined. In this case, this pill if marketed right would make the pregnancies for broken condoms far more rarer... however as you said, it certainly will be taken as that by lousy guys that not only don't take AIDS into account, but other more common but not less disturbing things like HPV, gonorrhea, syphilis and a rather long list. The hopes are that men could take this as womens do theirs, not to prevent diseases but to prevent pregnancy and also use rubbers to prevent diseases.

[hellheaven1987]

I always thought the possibility to impregnate a woman is one of fun parts of sex...

[Menelik_I]

I always thought the possibility to impregnate a woman is one of fun parts of sex...

Looking at South Asia's birth and fertility rates, I wouldn't be surprised that ''Is it going to stick this time'' might actually be a sport east of the Straits of Malacca.

[hellheaven1987]

Looking at South Asia's birth and fertility rates, I wouldn't be surprised that ''Is it going to stick this time'' might actually be a sport east of the Straits of Malacca.

And then? If it is overpopulated natural selection would kick in, you don't need to worry about that.

[Phier]

I always thought the possibility to impregnate a woman is one of fun parts of sex...

Child support is a real turn on.

[Markas]

I always thought the possibility to impregnate a woman is one of fun parts of sex...

Kinda like the lottery, only with a prize nobody wanted.

[Phier]

Some credit hormonal birth control for changing what makes a male sex symbol from big/burly/bearded/strong to pretty/effeminate/hairless chested pretty boys.

Maybe this will change it so men like matronly fat women.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I'm not sure I buy the first theory tbh.

[Nutsack]

Meh, I guess it's good for relationships but I sure as hell hope this isn't going to cause less condoms being used otherwise. I can imagine a scenario where two people are going to have sex for the first time and the guy uses the excuse for not having a condom as being because he uses contraceptive pills. For the sake of not spreading diseases the use of condoms must remain otherwise I don't want to live on this planet anymore.