Top 5 Facts About Male Birth Control
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Script written by Nathan Sharp
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For decades women have had a wide variety of birth control options, but men have had very few. Until now. Or, soon, at least. Welcome to WatchMojo's Top 5 Facts. In this installment, we're counting down the most interesting facts about male birth control, something that once perceived as purely fantasy. But that fantasy is now slowly coming upon us.
#5: It's A Lot Easier to Stop One Egg Than Millions of Sperm
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Women have been taking the pill since 1960, but why has science has done nothing new to disable our little swimmers? Sure, there are annoyingly temporary condoms, frighteningly permanent vasectomies, and some dicey steroidal options, but that's about it. Well, aside from the general difficulties in developing safe and effective pharmaceuticals, the one physiological difference in particular poses a big problem. The main difference between the two is the number of reproductive cells that a pill would need to stop; it's a lot easier to stop one egg a month than it is to stop the 1,500 sperm that are created every second.
#4: The World Could Benefit From a Little More Birth Control
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Birth control methods have been around for decades, and yet unplanned pregnancies still abound, particularly in the United States. According to the most recent National Survey of Family Growth and other data, literally half of all pregnancies in the US are unintended, equating to over three million baby bumps per year. That rate may seem high, and in some states rates are actually significantly higher, but according to some estimates, 50% is just about the average in the entire developed world.
#3: Birth Control Pills for Men Are in Development
There are at least 3 new oral forms of male contraception, each with a different approach to the thousand-plus-sperm-per-second problem. The first is derived from an Indonesian plant and messes up one enzyme found in the sperm head. One interferes with the body’s ability to use vitamin A to create a specific chemical, RAR, that is essential for sperm production. Presumably, it would have to be taken on a regular basis to keep the swimmer numbers down. The third would be fast acting and last 16 to 24 hours. Far from interfering with vitamin A, it would relax the muscles and glands involved in ejaculation, while not preventing orgasm. It has been dubbed the “clean sheets pill.” Though, it could probably be called the “clean gym sock pill” as well.
#2: Women Don't Trust Men with Taking the Pill Every Day
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So all those pills? They may just amount to nothing if women aren’t on board with the idea. A team from Teesside University in Southeast England asked 380 women if they trusted their significant other with taking a birth control pill every day. While both genders found the idea of a male pill intriguing, a majority of the females didn't trust their partners to remember, an outcome that has led pharmaceutical companies to look at more long-lasting solutions, such as a monthly injection or an implant. So, luckily...
#1: Non-Pill Methods Are on the Way
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The international NGO The Population Council is currently developing a contraceptive hormonal implant for men called MENT. It would last one year and be placed under the skin of the upper arm. A daily topical cream is also currently in development. But, the one with the most promise is Vasalgel. It is a polymer that gets injected into the vas deferens, and will either block, filter, or destroy the sperm. In theory, this method would be permanent, but reversible via another injection that clears out the polymer. Now, fortunately & unfortunately, it’s being developed as a nonprofit social venture, not by some pharmaceutical giant, which makes bringing it to market more complicated than we have time to explain. So when will it be available? Well, don’t hold your ba– erm, breath.
So, what do you think, will any of these methods ever come to a pharmacy near you? Or will they be at the edge of coming forever? For more thousands-every-second top tens and fully reversible top fives, be sure to subscribe to Watchmojo.com.
