If/when the male birth control pill comes to the market, who would you want to be in charge of birth control in your relationship?

[witherwing]

So, this is a topic we discussed with friends yesterday and I was interested in hearing what GaG thinks about it as well. So, currently the male birth control pill is deemed to have too many risks, but if it was released in the market, who would you like to be responsible for birth control in your relationship, in other words who would use birth control?

[Benedek38]

Male birth control already exists. It's called a condom.

That being said, I'd want my possible future partner to take a pill, for one simple reason.

For this we have to examine how male (and female) birth control works.

Female birth control works by influencing the progesterone and estrogene levels to omit ovulation, as well as thickening the walls of the cervix to prevent entry mechanically.
Side effects are few and not very prominent. Not to mention many women take it simple to make their periods "lighter".

Now let's examine how male birth control pills work.
They essentially input artifical progesterone to the body, which shuts down sperm production, as well as severely lowering testosterone levels.
In order to keep testosterone levels intact, they also contain testosterone to counterbalance the loss.

Now, there is a fundamental problem here. Anyone who has looked into anabolic steroids knows that if you inject testosterone (synthetic or authentic) into a male body, said body will lower, or even stop testosterone production. This is why bodybuilders often have gynecomastia.
Now, bodybuilders take great care to counteract this effect by regulating their cycles and taking post-cycle therapies.

The male birth control pill essentially reduces the body's ability to produce male hormones. Needless to say this results in muscle loss, severe fat gain, change in behaviour, and possibly impotency.

During the testing phase, several people reported temporary impotency, and a few patients were impont for 2-3 months. One patient commited suicide, though the circumstances are unclear.

The difference between the two pills is that the female pill suppresses a natural process, and doesn't influence hormone levels by a lot. The male pill SHUTS DOWN a natural process, and several influences hormone levels. The female equivalent of a male birth control pill from a medical perspective is a morning-after pill, and we all know that that fucks up the female body badly.

If you can make the pill 100% without any contequences - you pop it in, nothing changes, but no baby - sure, who cares. But that's not reality. Reality is that male pills work in a fundamentally flawed and destructive way. It works as a badly regulated steroid cycle, and WILL fuck up your testosterone production on the long run.

So if you like to go to the gym, I suggest never ever taking male birth control. It is harmful to your body and your performance.

[genericname85]

I wouldn't suggest ingesting condoms. They are not meant to be used like pills.

[witherwing]

I agree that the male pill is too risky to be sold and shouldn't like it is now. However, you seem to be a bit misinformed about the risks and side effects of the female birth control, because they're very severe in some cases and most women would prefer to not use hormonal birth control, if they had a choice. For starters the risk of embolism increases significantly, which is very dangerous, menstrual cramps can become unbearable, flow can either lessen or increase by a lot, the hormone in the pills affect moods and can cause a lot of weight gain and skin problems. The best birth control would be hormone free completely, because it causes a lot of problems for women.

[Benedek38]

I am nowhere misinformed, and yes, they can have bad side effects. That's bad, and I dislike the idea of tampering with one's hormonal system fundamentally. I am strongly AGAINST the pill in general. But the permanent and severe side effects of female birth control are much more rare, and are circumstancial. For example: weight gain, diabetes, thrombosis, yeast infection - these are pretty circumstancial. And yes, shit happens - you have to break a few eggs to make an omelette. But male birth control's working mechanism if the key source of its flaw. To illustrate it: Female birth control is like leashing your dog so that it can't run away. Yeah, it might sound evil, but at least it works, and doesn't cause a lot of distress for the dog. Male birth control is like amputating your dog's legs so that it can't run away. Yeah, it can't run away - because it can't run at all. That kind of defeats the purpose. [continued]

[Benedek38]

"most women would prefer to not use hormonal birth control" Most women would say you are wrong. It helps with acne, hard periods, and you can party all year round. The problem is that women often take it like candy, so that they can have sex every day of the month. No shit stuffing your body full of artificial hormones results in issues. "they're very severe in some cases" Tests to male birth control registered several patients who experienced impotency. This was in a small control group. If a product that's goal is to make sex safe has a chance of say, 0.1% of making sex PRACTICALLY IMPOSSIBLE as well as permanently damaging the user, that's not exactly a winning product. By that logic, just tie a uranium rod to your testicles. I guarantee that you will be safe to have sex for life - just pray that you don't go limp forever. "the hormone in the pills affect moods and can cause a lot of weight gain and skin problems." Interesting, medical experience tells the exact opposite.

[Rob321]

I would rather have gerald (my left testicle) removed than wear a condom

[AlienParasite]

Ehh... I wouldn't recommend pills in general. Both male and female pills change hormones and have side effects that can be problematic. In case of men you explained well, but in case of women it's a shit too. The hormones of female pills makes testosterone in women lower, you know what that means? Less sex drive. So a women take those pills to have sex but those pills are making her be less in the mood for sex. Not to mention that the descompensation of hormones makes the women moody, even felt depressed without reason (my sister started to use it and had to stop cause he emotional health changed when she started using female pill). Just to end, hormones are very important in our health, behavior and happiness. We shouldn't consume things that can change our hormones if our hormones are fine, cause we can really make us bad.

[Benedek38]

@AlienParasite "The hormones of female pills makes testosterone in women lower, you know what that means? Less sex drive." I wasn't aware that testosterone causes higher sex drive in women, too. Care to provide evidence or source? Not saying you are wrong, just asking. Anyway, I am absolutely not in favour of contraceptive pills, in fact I recently advised my little sister against it, as she was unsure about it herself. My comment was more to say "if one out of me and my future partner has to take it, I would prefer it to be her". I don't like the idea of a pill, but undoubtedly female contraceptives are the lesser of two evils.

[Benedek38]

@AlienParasite One more thing. I know I will sound cruel, but there is a case to be made here - women are 100% responsible for a foetus, and have 100% authority over it. Just as feminists wanted it. I think from a logical standpoint, one could argue that if women have full control over their body, then they should have fill responsibility over their reproduction too - meaning as long as men have essentially no reproductive rights (and they don't, they need women to reproduce), contraception should rest squarely on women's shoulder alone.

[AlienParasite]

@Benedek38 I read about how hormones affect to sexual behavior and gender in a book called The Science of Sex, written by Pere Estupinya. However if you search how testosterone affects women almost every result would say that it affects to her libido, also other stuff (I think I have read that might affect to bones and muscles too). About who should take resposability of reproduction, I think both should, at least in a serious relationship. If I got pregnant my boyfriend would feel responsible, my boyfriends cares as much as I do about not getting me pregnant (not yet). Also I think it has to be a shit for a guy to get pregnant a girl and you don't want the kid but she does or otherwise she doesn't want the baby but you do. Those situations are shit, and the best way to avoid to go through an unwanted kid or an unwanted abortion it's avoid to get any girl pregnant, so therefore for guys' own health and avoiding any trouble the best is for boys to also care about their reproduction.

[Benedek38]

@AlienParasite
1)
www.healthline.com/.../high-testosterone-in-women
An overly high testosterone in women can cause low libido.
Testosterone is what triggers ovulation though. So it is likely that while there is a measurable correlation between libido and higher testosterone, there is no causation. Certainly injecting yourself with steroids won't do any good good for. your love life as a woman, as opposed to for guys.
As for muscle and bones, I am appalled how little you were told about it, testosterone being the single most defining. element of male behaviour - and yes, it does induce increased muscle development and higher bone density. That's why men on average are stronger than women.
Was this book perhaps. given to. you in some gender studies course? Just out of interest.

[Benedek38]

@AlienParasite " I think both should, at least in a serious relationship." Sure, but functional relationships are never the issue. "Those situations are shit, and the best way to avoid to go through an unwanted kid or an unwanted abortion it's avoid to get any girl pregnant, so therefore for guys' own health and avoiding any trouble the best is for boys to also care about their reproduction." But. what if I get her pregnant, I want the baby, but she doesn't? That's why i am saying I don't have reproductive rights. If I decise to have a child - I have to find a surrogate mother, that's the closest thing I can imagine. And surrogate motherhood costs at least 20000 USD, but. more. like 50000. That's insane. And even THEN, the surrogate mother can just abort the child. So I feel my claim is grounded in reality that ultimately if women are 100% in control. of their own body, they should 100% be responsible for avoiding pregnancy if they don't want a kid.

[AlienParasite]

Nope, that book it's made by a biochemist and does nothing to do with retarded American feminist bullshit in your universities, if that was what you were thinking.

Same web you were researching explains same I explained:
www.healthline.com/.../low-testosterone-in-women

Of course high testosterone it's also bad (even worst). There are something called "normal levels", and of course they are different for men and women. But we were talking about what the female pill does, and taking it or not doesn't increase testosterone, but taking the pill lowers T in women, and have consequences in behavior and health.

Also testosterone it's worst if it's low for men more than when high, but having it too high can lead to some problems. Also same web you used:

www.healthline.com/.../side-effects-of-low-testosterone

www.healthline.com/.../men-too-much-testosterone-linked-to-shorter-lifespan-112213

Hormones levels should be cared

[AlienParasite]

@Benedek38 I've already read the rest, I've only read what you said about testosterone. About the second reply, it feels like you repeated the exact same thing you wrote before. Just trying to not repeat myself, in the end I believe that to take responsability of birth control is an individual choice. So you are free not to take any responsability if you want, just as free any of my boyfriends were to be very responsible about that.

[Benedek38]

@AlienParasite "About the second reply, it feels like you repeated the exact same thing you wrote before." Because you didn't sound like you understood it the first time around, so I rephrased it. "Just trying to not repeat myself, in the end I believe that to take responsability of birth control is an individual choice." And I am not saying you shouldn't believe that, I am saying there is definitely a case to be made that it should be a woman's responsibility. And I am asking if you agree to any extent with my reasoning.

[AlienParasite]

I understood, I just don't agree. I think it's interesting for guys to avoid getting girls pregnant. I wouldn't feel ok having unprotected sex with girls, knowing they could get pregnant and that I could have a son or daughter not knowing it. Also there are countries where if the woman says you are the father you have to pay for the kid maintenance even if you didn't want the kid, or even without knowing she had that kid of yours. Men have to protect themselves avoiding to get pregnant the wrong woman. It's unconscious to avoid any responsability of something that can affect to your life.

[Benedek38]

@AlienParasite ". Also there are countries where if the woman says you are the father you have to pay for the kid maintenance even if you didn't want the kid" See. this is what i am talking about. If i don't have the right to abort the child, why should I have to care for it? This is essentially debt slavery. "Men have to protect themselves avoiding to get pregnant the wrong woman." Oh. So women are essentially traps. Inverse lottery tickets where if your numbet is up, you are fucked. Great. Knowing condoms only have a 97% effectiveness, give me ONE reason why I should have sex with women instead of a prostitute? At least the prostitute won't ask for child support. No offense, but you portray the situation in a really unfair light. Maybe men need a bit of equality. "It's unconscious to avoid any responsability of something that can affect to your life." Repeat after me. Vic Tim Bla Ming

[AlienParasite]

Ehhh, say whatever you want. I would stay feel the same. You are overvictimizing yourself. 1. If you don't care about the children you would not feel bad due to abortion laws cause you wouldn't care if he's dead or alive. But you care about abortion, cause the fact is that you truly care about having or not a child. 2. If you care about children you would try to avoid a bad women, you wouldn't hookup or at leat wouldn't do it without condom. 3. If men trying to be aware and to do whatever is on their hand to avoid their damage is blaming the victim, also saying in a subway passengers should take care of their bag and phone to avoid beign robbed is blaming the victim. I'm sorry but it's not blaming the victim. It's helping potential victims to avoid becoming one. But if you want to be a victim go a fuck without condom any random crazy. 4. Comdoms are effective, that 3% does not usually happens. It's more common that people are stupid and use condoms in bad state.

[AlienParasite]

5. Women traps? We could say the same about bad men. Neither men or women are traps. Any person should try to avoid a total stranger in bed, it's dangerous, you don't know anything about that person values. When you are with a total stranger you are risking. That person can have a sexual disease. That person can be crazy. Maybe it doesn't happen anything but there's always those risks. 6. If you don't care about the other person getting pregnant (as a man) or you don't care how getting pregnant can affect the other person (as a woman), you are a cold monster. The normal thing it's to care about your sexual partner.

[Benedek38]

@AlienParasite "If you don't care about the children you would not feel bad due to abortion laws cause you wouldn't care if he's dead or alive. But you care about abortion, cause the fact is that you truly care about having or not a child." I care about having or not having a child because I want to have a child when i am ready to have a child, and when I am not ready, I don't want to be dragged into paying child support for 18 years. "If you care about children you would try to avoid a bad women, you wouldn't hookup or at leat wouldn't do it without condom." Slutshaming and victim blaming. Well done, you are a hypocrite.

[Benedek38]

@AlienParasite "If men trying to be aware and to do whatever is on their hand to avoid their damage is blaming the victim, also saying in a subway passengers should take care of their bag and phone to avoid beign robbed is blaming the victim." So you are telling me having an unwanted child is a trap for a man. That's all I hear. That children are large mousetraps for your wallet. Having an unwanted child is not something that should victimize you. If women can abort their unborn, I should be able to abort my responsibility to care for said child. Which I, repeat myself, CAN'T. "Comdoms are effective, that 3% does not usually happens." I see you are not familiar with statistics. Let's say I live an active sexual life in a long term relationship. That means having sex every day of the week. The chance of no failed condom over the next year is 0.97^(365). Do you know how small that number is? 1.48*10^(-5). That's practically 0. Meaning there is a 99.99999% chance of a broken condom

[Benedek38]

@AlienParasite "Women traps? We could say the same about bad men." Except you don't have to pay for 18 years if you hook up with a bad man. "If you don't care about the other person getting pregnant (as a man) or you don't care how getting pregnant can affect the other person (as a woman), you are a cold monster. The normal thing it's to care about your sexual partner. " Did I say I don't care? It just doesn't affect me. If I hook up with someone, and she gets pregnant, I might just pay half of the price of the abortion for her, and possibly never meet her again. But if she insists on having the kid, I am fucked. This is my point. Look, I am not saying awareness is not desirable. I am saying the system is unfair with men, and is designed to trap them with child support and alimony.

[Knowbetternow1]

And a vasectomy

[newPython]

@Rob321 what's the name of your right testicle?

[newPython]

The 3 percent risk is not per single condom use. That's for over the course of a year.

[newPython]

"If used perfectly, male/external condoms can be up to 98% effective at preventing pregnancy. In reality they are only 85% effective – an average of 15 people out of 100 get pregnant when using condoms as their only form of protection for a year." This data and percentages refer to over the course of a year - the average couple has sex around 85 to 87 times a year. This number doesn't mention the age of the couples. Maybe the percentage is higher for those in the 20s, and lower for those in the 40s. For the pill "Perfect use: more than 99% effective. Fewer than 1 in 100 women will get pregnant in a year when using the combined pill correctly. Typical use: around 91% effective. Around 9 in 100 women using the combined pill will get pregnant in a year." So there is a 9 percent chance of failure for the pill, and 15 percent chance of failure for the condom. Doing the math gives us a 1.35 percent chance of failure for a couple having sex that's taking both the pill and using the condom. Not worth it in my opinion, unless she agrees to have an abortion, or better to have sex from someone outside of the Judae-Christian guilt complex culture, and particularly not Catholics (Filipinas in particular).

[atastychef]

So this guy is telling his girl about the new birth control pill for men, " I heard it works well, but it's as big as a quarter!"
" OH MY!" says his girl, "how in the world can you swallow something that big?"
To which the guy replies, " oh, you don't swallow it. You put it in your shoe and it makes you limp."

[Xoxocutekitty]

Both parties should be on birth control. After dealing with "but the condoms don't feel good" excuses, I'm not going to trust getting pregnant or not to whether Joe smoe can remember to take his miracle pill every day at the same time and not "forget" on certain days. I know this, because I have female friends that forget like half a day, but then they are super worried for a week. I feel like if a man "forgot" he would not feel as anxious or prioritize the gravity to which one day of forgetting can completely ruin someone else's life. He wouldn't think much of it, because at the end if the day, he can't get pregnant and he'll run that risk of not telling his girlfriend to avoid a fight just because "statistically" she'll be fine. Statistics don't = trust.

[lumos]

Both people should ALWAYS be responsible for some sort of birth control, even now when the male birth control pill still doesn't fully exist. Both people should always have condoms on hand. And if needed/if the woman wants to, she can decide to take the pill for an extra layer of protection. But birth control shouldn't inherently be just one person's responsibility, as sex is an act BOTH people participate in. Hence both are responsible.

[kill_me_with_witt]

High fives for condom club! Huah ✋

[Someguynamedbob]

Yup I’m not trusting the women to take the pill every time, I wrap it up every time, it also prevents stds so it’s really the way to go

[drsexthingy]

I don't think this pill will become popular for the same reasons condoms haven't been throughout their history, it will to some extent curtail sexual enjoyment for some men, and there's always plenty of silly girls out there who will agree to risky sex, whether risky from disease or pregnancy or both. Plus, I think that just as few cautious women will believe the "I'm on the male pill" line as believe the "I'm sterile/had a vasectomy" line. They will still take the safe route, whether or not the guy takes the pill, so if there's no tactile incentive, why would guys take it?

[Boromir]

I'd like to have control over the situation. Now I don't need to blindly trust anymore my partner :-)

[Matthevv]

One word, Vasalgel. There is a new form of male birth control that will be entering the market in the next few years called Vasalgel. It is basically a one time injection that will be something like 99% effective. Then, if the man ever decides to have a child, they can get a second injection of a material that dissolves the gel.

I would absolutely get this injection and never have to worry about an unwanted pregnancy ever again.

[TrixiePooch]

You are going to trust your partner to take his pills when it is the female who suffers for 8 months? Men can't even b e trusted to put the toilet seat down. :) One method can always fail, so if you want to make sure no accidents will happen then both of you need to step up and make sure she doesn't get pregnant. Like both of you take pills or use condoms or both.

[WetJewellz]

Guys are having babies. Trust. They keep killing themselves tho.

[BlueWalker]

Just reading some of the comments and just a couple thoughts about condoms:

Condoms are far from being 100% safe. They can break and they can also have porosity in the material due to a (rare) manufacturing flaw, or develop micro tears in them during sex. They are also only meant to be used once and some guys think they can use them several times during a session of sex.

As for a male contraceptive, I'd be very wary of long-term health concerns. The only way for this to work is to either stop the production of semen, or to sterilize the sperm from being fertile. In either case, I don't think that is a good situation over time. Sterilizing the sperm could damage a person's ability to be fertile ever again in the future if he/a couple so chooses to have a child in the future. Also, if it stops the production of semen, not only could it have the same affect as sterilization issues over time, but the backing up and prevention of your body producing semen (which is a natural, healthy function), cannot be good for the associated organs at all. Not to mention, possible hormonal/mood issues as well. Which in the case of some guys already being aggressive, that's kind of scary if you ask me.

[dragonfly6516]

Both parties should share in the responsibility and the cost.

[Losalt]

No single type of prevention is 100% safe so you need to use multiple different ones to be relatively sure that there won't be a kid.
And given how a condom feels I'd be leaning towards trying one of those pills.

[Izumiblu]

Uhh I don't know for me it’s not a matter of trust. Depends on the risks and issues I reckon. I’m fine on my birth control so I would be reluctant to switch to him for sure.

[Salsacumbia]

Just me. If my partner wants to be on it with me thats cool.

[pumaOH24]

I think both should handle birth control if it’s available. Condoms also protect you from STDs which is good if you don’t know your new partner’s sexual past.

[SarahVanRensburg]

There won’t be any birth control in any of my relationships.

[lukabxbsjs]

Comr

[lukabxbsjs]

Come

[DarkFunction]

I already am, I've had a 1/2 vasectomy, so they just stop the flow of sperm from the tubes but after a couple of years you can undo the procedure and redo it again a few months later. I hated seeing my partner so emotionally distraught over all of the different pills and hormonal imbalances, and I decided to just do that as it doesn't cause any issues for me at all 😊

[markscott]

It seems, that as the girl is the most involved in pregnancy, she ought to be in charge of the birth control, just to make sure it happens in a way that keeps her from getting pregnant.

[newPython]

I wouldn't trust a woman. Otherwise you wouldn't see so many women pregnant out of wedlock.

[Tamera952]

The only one you should trust should be the one in charge… You silly. Everyone should be responsible for their own duh!

[Kurαȷ]

I personally think vasectomy is the best form of contraception.
As for the male birth control pill, I don't think they will have enough reliable data for it to become relevant to me anytime soon, and I personally wouldn't let my partner take hormonal contraception or get IUDs.

[dragonfly6516]

Many doctors will refuse to perform the surgery on anyone that hasn't had any children, unless there is a dire medical need. But I'm not planning on ever having any either, so I support the decision of those who choose this route. Humans are already over-populated anyways.

[heatherrenee6996]

Yep. But I am having an orchiectomy done soon. Easier for me to do than her having the tubes tied

[oluwabp]

Hmmmmmm🤔

[EmmaMary]

I would very much like to think that it would be equal responsibility, but could we always trust a guy to be sensible enough to remember to take it.

[passinby]

I am always in charge of birth control in my sexscapades; I got a vasectomy. She can do whatever she wants. No pill is better for sex I believe.

[Ellie-V]

Luckily for me, I can’t get pregnant anymore 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾😁

[MayBlythe]

It's the responsibility of the person who doesn't want babies to use birth control