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posted by takyon on Tuesday March 26 2019, @09:12PM   Printer-friendly
from the wang-prescribes-beta dept.

This Male Birth Control Pill has Just Been Shown Safe in Humans for the First Time:

For years, scientists have been trying to develop a safe and effective version of the pill for men, and a new drug candidate could be the contraceptive we've been looking for.

This week, scientists in the US announced that an experimental oral drug called 11-beta-MNTDC looks to be safe and tolerable, based on results from a phase 1 clinical trial involving 40 men.

"Our results suggest that this pill, which combines two hormonal activities in one, will decrease sperm production while preserving libido," says male reproduction biologist Christina Wang from the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute (LA BioMed).

[...] 11-beta-MNTDC is a modified form of testosterone with both progestational (in effect, sperm-blocking) and androgenic (hormone-balancing) characteristics.

Before you get your hopes up too much, this was strictly a test for toleration; further studies are required to test efficacy.


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  • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 26 2019, @09:14PM (6 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 26 2019, @09:14PM (#820318)

    Now people who don't hang out on this site can have sex without worrying about paternity suits. Bad news for gold-digging women.

    • (Score: 5, Touché) by krishnoid on Tuesday March 26 2019, @09:17PM

      by krishnoid (1156) on Tuesday March 26 2019, @09:17PM (#820322)

      Now I ain't sayin' she's a gold digger,
      But she ain't hanging with no non-placebo 11-beta-MNTDC clinical trials subjects ...

    • (Score: 0, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 26 2019, @10:31PM (4 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 26 2019, @10:31PM (#820379)

      There is a dangerous time, when you have 1 or 2 kids with her, maybe even 3. She might get the idea to run off, thinking she will get child support (probably correct) and a better man (probably wrong, now that she isn't pristine). Marriages fall apart partly because women remember their youthful days being chased by desirable men and they somehow imagine that they can go back to that.

      Once you have lots of kids, she is yours. There is no escape and she knows it. Four or five is probably enough, and six is nearly certain. I will soon have 12 kids. Who, other than myself or a pedophile, would want my wife? She is trapped and she knows it, just the way I like it.

      So you need to get through that dangerous time as quickly as possible. Once the first pregnancy hits, knock her up another half dozen times as fast as you can. Keep her pinned down with babies.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @02:30AM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @02:30AM (#820461)

        Seriously, we're all geeks and nerds here. Use a different port and you'll be fine.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @02:49AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @02:49AM (#820471)

          We tried the upper port once. She rejected the data.

          The rear port stinks. It seems to be output-only. I'm not trying it. Maybe it is the monitoring port? It might emit traffic from the upper port.

          The front seems to work OK. I put data in, and sometimes I get a response.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @06:51AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @06:51AM (#820515)

        Then you just have a bunch of annoying crotch goblins to drive you insane. Even if the baby trapping works, it's not worth it at all!

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @08:49PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @08:49PM (#820933)

        who the hell modded this funny

  • (Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 26 2019, @09:14PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 26 2019, @09:14PM (#820319)

    Dr. Wang. Such a suitable name.

    • (Score: 3, Funny) by Alfred on Tuesday March 26 2019, @09:47PM

      by Alfred (4006) on Tuesday March 26 2019, @09:47PM (#820350) Journal
      She said she felt she was guided into this field.
  • (Score: 2) by Freeman on Tuesday March 26 2019, @09:27PM (12 children)

    by Freeman (732) on Tuesday March 26 2019, @09:27PM (#820326) Journal

    So, this could all still be for naught, if the efficacy is something around 50% or even 75% to 80%. It could be very useful, but I'll hold off judgement until it's demonstrably as good as or better than birth control pills for women.

    --
    Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
    • (Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday March 26 2019, @09:32PM (3 children)

      by takyon (881) <takyonNO@SPAMsoylentnews.org> on Tuesday March 26 2019, @09:32PM (#820330) Journal

      Multiple (2+) forms of birth control are recommended, although you can do much better than 80%.

      --
      [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
      • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday March 26 2019, @09:34PM (2 children)

        by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday March 26 2019, @09:34PM (#820333) Journal

        > Multiple (2+) forms of birth control are recommended

        1. Take the male contraceptive
        2. Take the morning after pill

        Bu . . . bu . . . but . . . I took the emergency contraceptive, aka the morning after pill, and she still got pregnant anyway!

        --
        When trying to solve a problem don't ask who suffers from the problem, ask who profits from the problem.
        • (Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday March 26 2019, @09:43PM (1 child)

          by takyon (881) <takyonNO@SPAMsoylentnews.org> on Tuesday March 26 2019, @09:43PM (#820343) Journal

          Condom + contraceptive though.

          Still, where is this [soylentnews.org]?

          --
          [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
          • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday March 26 2019, @09:52PM

            by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday March 26 2019, @09:52PM (#820354) Journal

            I guess that takes me back to wondering which will come first. Male contraceptive. Or putting humans on Mars.

            --
            When trying to solve a problem don't ask who suffers from the problem, ask who profits from the problem.
    • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday March 26 2019, @09:32PM (7 children)

      by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday March 26 2019, @09:32PM (#820331) Journal

      From TFA

      Potential Male Birth Control Pill Has Just Been Shown Safe in Humans

      Who cares if it is safe . . . what matters is if it is effective.

      If it is safe but not effective, then you have a long life to support an accident, or someone sabotaging the birth control.

      If it is unsafe and not effective then you won't be around that long for the efficacy to matter.

      If it is unsafe and effective then that should merit a lawsuit.

      If it is safe and effective . . .

      I had long wondered whether we would first put people on Mars or develop a male contraceptive.

      --
      When trying to solve a problem don't ask who suffers from the problem, ask who profits from the problem.
      • (Score: 4, Insightful) by martyb on Tuesday March 26 2019, @10:19PM (4 children)

        by martyb (76) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday March 26 2019, @10:19PM (#820372) Journal

        I think you missed the point.

        If they found out it was NOT safe, how many people would they be able to get to volunteer to find out if it was effective?

        This trial was with ~40 people. From what I can tell, there were no adverse reactions so severe to preclude going into further testing. And that was the goal of this test.

        Later testing would involve a larger pool of volunteers to further analyze safety as well as efficacy.

        Baby steps! (Hmm, that might not have been the best choice of words!)

        --
        Wit is intellect, dancing.
        • (Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @01:05AM (3 children)

          by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @01:05AM (#820434)

          Later testing would involve a larger pool of volunteers to further analyze safety as well as efficacy.

          But it is, you know, a sacrifice required for the future of the human race. I hasten to add that since each man will be required to do prodigious... service along these lines, the women will have to be selected for their sexual characteristics which will have to be of a highly stimulating nature.

          • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @08:08AM (1 child)

            by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @08:08AM (#820544)

            Nah, they don't need women to test, just sperm samples.

            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @09:39AM

              by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @09:39AM (#820555)

              Killjoy!

          • (Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Wednesday March 27 2019, @04:43PM

            "I-I first became aware of it, Mandrake, during the physical act of love...Yes, a profound sense of fatigue, a feeling of emptiness followed. Luckily I-I was able to interpret these feelings correctly. Loss of essence. I can assure you it has not recurred, Mandrake. Women, er, women sense my power, and they seek the life essence. I do not avoid women, Mandrake. But I do deny them my essence."

            --
            No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
      • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @02:39PM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @02:39PM (#820662)

        With a 28 days trial they've not proved safe anything, not even was long enough to prove effectiveness. All the report is a pure bluff to get funds

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @09:57PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @09:57PM (#820981)

          It is a phase 1 trial. They are limited to something like 8 weeks and 80 participants by law. It is only meant to prove "safety" in that taking the medication won't cause death, disability, or physiological changes above a certain level at dosage greatly above the estimated therapeutic dose. Basically, short of someone dying, wishing they were dead, or having an otherwise obvious side effect, a drug passes. Before the FDA allows them to move to phase 2, they are probably going to require the researchers do a slightly longer and bigger phase 1 trial, given the potentially serious side effects they did observe.

  • (Score: 1) by RandomFactor on Tuesday March 26 2019, @09:43PM (7 children)

    by RandomFactor (3682) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday March 26 2019, @09:43PM (#820342) Journal

    The pill for women has some side effects (weight gain, libido reduction, moodiness, headaches...)

    A male pill might be a good thing.

    A few of the participants reported fatigue, headaches, and acne during the experiment.

    Oh hell no, I'm not going back to that.

    --
    В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
    • (Score: 4, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 26 2019, @10:17PM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 26 2019, @10:17PM (#820371)

      There are reasons why it's easier for a female pill. Females have a cycle based hormonal balance and some of the states of this cycle are non fertile. A lot of the side effects are actually due to getting off of the pill during placebo week. Something totally unnecessary. Actually, staying on the pill is preferred by a lot of women because it spares them from periods entirely.
      Meanwhile males are breed ready (as the chinese would say) from their puberty to when they can't get it up, and even then we have pills for that.
      So you have to design a selective hormonal receptor modulator. We already know how to do some of them but not one that does all testosterone does except for sperm production.
      It's dangerous because testosterone deprived nuts can become permanently infertile in months.
      And while the pill is desirable for even women that aren't sexually active, there's no upside for men that I can forsee. It may even come with slight downsides as selective hormonal receptor modulators are tricky.
      If it can be made kudos. But the use case is still low as very few things can beat a rubber both in terms of efficacity and because you have to use one for STDs unless you're with a long term partner. And the argument for responsability is kind of moot because you need to trust the other and if something goes wrong it's the woman who gets screwed so they would probably rather do it on their end anyway.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @09:44AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @09:44AM (#820557)

        if something goes wrong it's the woman who gets screwed

        No pun intended?

      • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @02:14PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @02:14PM (#820647)

        Not only dangerous for the permanent testis damage.

        It's well known since more than 40 years ago already that long term use of methylated testosterone ester variants causes serious liver damage [nih.gov] and life-threatening medical conditions. There are plenty of medical literature about it, and the therapeutic testosterone levels for HRT and male birth control are similar.

        Oral testosterone is absorbed in the intestine and must pass through the liver before being distributed to the rest of the body.
        The liver naturally destroys the testosterone present in the food as does with many other hormones that otherwise would be harmful and disrupt the endocrine system.
        Using the a methylated molecule helps to prevent the liver to do its job. Unfortunately even if that helps to maintain terapeutical levels of testosterone in blood after being processed in the liver that has a long term cost.

        Don't know about the 11β-Methyl-19-nortestosterone dodecylcarbonate [wikipedia.org] since can't find anywhere any actual long term study proving it safer than other methylated testosterone esters, and are more related to ease of use and avoiding aestetic secondary effects since 11-beta-MNTDC is not 5alpha-reduced so it's suposed to avoid promoting male baldness pattern.

        That's one of the main reasons methylated testosterone esters are not uses as HRT anymore despite being the most convenient to use and dirty cheap to produce and instead much more cumbersome and expensive gels or shoots are prescribed.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 26 2019, @10:52PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 26 2019, @10:52PM (#820387)

      The pill for women has some side effects (weight gain, libido reduction, moodiness, headaches...)

      How could they tell?

      (sorry, sometimes I just can't resist)

    • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @01:56PM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @01:56PM (#820631)

      The point of the male pill, and the reason it hasn't happened sooner, is that it gives men some tiny amount of control over whether or not they become fathers. Right now men only get to decide not to have sex. That's it.

      Women get to abstain, use the pill, use a condom, have an abortion, put the demon seed up for adoption and none of that requires any consent or buy in from the potential father. And they still wind up becoming single mothers for reasons other than the guy dropping dead.

      If men have the ability to make our own decisions about whether or not to be fathers without having to give up sex, it would greatly reduce the hold women have on us.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 26 2019, @09:44PM (5 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 26 2019, @09:44PM (#820345)

    I won't be letting satan into my sperm.

  • (Score: 3, Informative) by VLM on Tuesday March 26 2019, @09:47PM (26 children)

    by VLM (445) on Tuesday March 26 2019, @09:47PM (#820349)

    Paradox of choice; already too many options out there.

    No barrier for STDs so useless for casual dating sex, girl has to trust the guy way too much for casual sex anyway.

    For mostly monogamous couples there's already so many options I'm struggling to think of the situation. When all else fails is a pretty long list.

    • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Tuesday March 26 2019, @10:01PM (6 children)

      by bob_super (1357) on Tuesday March 26 2019, @10:01PM (#820361)

      Point I was gonna make : which girl is going to trust a guy that swears he took the pill, when it's his pleasure but her risk ?
      Also, after getting snipped, men still output swimmers for almost two months. That's a long time ... trust me.

      Also :
      > will decrease sperm production while preserving libido

      Objective as stated is road to failure :
      To be successful, it has to Definitely stop sperm production, while Dramatically increasing libido and erections.

      Outside of long-term couples medically prevented from using other options, and maybe men really dedicated to avoid "accidents", I don't see much of a market.

      • (Score: 2, Flamebait) by Mykl on Wednesday March 27 2019, @02:51AM (5 children)

        by Mykl (1112) on Wednesday March 27 2019, @02:51AM (#820472)

        Point I was gonna make : which girl is going to trust a guy that swears he took the pill, when it's his pleasure but her risk ?

        It's an edge-case, but I personally know two guys who had casual sex with women who lied about being on the pill so they could get pregnant. They then enjoyed the pleasure of 18 years of child support for being an unwitting sperm donor.

        Granted, they were stupid to not be using STD protection (e.g. condoms) in the first place, but there is a use-case for the guy who doesn't want to be a baby-daddy.

        • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @05:36AM (4 children)

          by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @05:36AM (#820496)

          Make sure you keep some pure capascin oil to put on top of the cream in your spent condom just in case she retrieves it and shoves it back up there in hopes of nailing you for DNA matching if she can trip off her babymaker.

          The wails resulting from the capascin experience will let you know she will try such a thing.

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @10:02AM

            by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @10:02AM (#820560)

            You mean, retrieve it *from garbage can* and put it *in there* ? Whoa, buddy, I admire your imagination! I never ever met a woman *that* desperate and non-germophobic.

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @01:59PM (2 children)

            by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @01:59PM (#820635)

            The solution here is to change the laws so that men have actual rights when it comes to reproduction. It's not going to happen because women don't want any of the responsibilities of being an adult and there's enough cuck bastards out there willing to sell their fellow men out in order to get in good with women. Women, who are pretty mean to men and basically incapable of behaving like adults.

            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @04:48PM

              by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @04:48PM (#820759)

              The solution here is to change the laws so that men have actual rights when it comes to reproduction. It's not going to happen because women don't want any of the responsibilities of being an adult and there's enough cuck bastards out there willing to sell their fellow men out in order to get in good with women. Women, who are pretty mean to men and basically incapable of behaving like adults.

              Wow! Bitter much?

              Maybe you should improve your taste in women?

            • (Score: 2) by Immerman on Friday March 29 2019, @05:09PM

              by Immerman (3985) on Friday March 29 2019, @05:09PM (#821896)

              Or, you know, give men control over their own fertility so that they can play the game on equal footing with pill-liberated women.

              If you don't want kids, don't have kids. If you do want kids, then make sure you're engaging in a well-formulated business partnership with a trustworthy woman - traditionally such an partnership was known as "marriage", but that institution has changed somewhat in recent centuries, and there are other options.

    • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Spamalope on Tuesday March 26 2019, @11:14PM

      by Spamalope (5233) on Tuesday March 26 2019, @11:14PM (#820394) Homepage

      Single guys in a committed relationship that may lead to marriage look like the target market. Avoiding or significantly reducing the risk of birth control sabotage or mistake babies is worth lots. (theoretically used as male & female pills both)

    • (Score: 4, Insightful) by darkfeline on Wednesday March 27 2019, @03:25AM (11 children)

      by darkfeline (1030) on Wednesday March 27 2019, @03:25AM (#820480) Homepage

      > girl has to trust the guy way too much for casual sex anyway.

      Isn't it the other way around? The girl can revoke consent at any time, including after the fact. The girl can choose whether or not to use birth control or have an abortion, irrespective of the guy's wishes. The girl can garnish the guy's wages, irrespective of any deceit used or ulterior motives harbored. The girl can even send the kid for adoption later without any input from the guy.

      At least in most places in the US, maybe other countries have saner laws/implementations of said laws.

      It's a bad time to be a guy (male suicide rates rising, male graduation rates, college acceptance rates falling, lots of programs and opportunities for girls and few for guys). That's why the MGTOW movement exists.

      --
      Join the SDF Public Access UNIX System today!
      • (Score: 2) by gringer on Wednesday March 27 2019, @04:31AM (3 children)

        by gringer (962) on Wednesday March 27 2019, @04:31AM (#820488)

        It's a bad time to be a guy

        It sure is a scary time for boys.

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cFIIj6A1Y4 [youtube.com]

        --
        Ask me about Sequencing DNA in front of Linus Torvalds [youtube.com]
        • (Score: 4, Interesting) by darkfeline on Wednesday March 27 2019, @06:21AM (2 children)

          by darkfeline (1030) on Wednesday March 27 2019, @06:21AM (#820506) Homepage

          I can't tell what the point of that song is. I suppose it's was intended to be mocking guys for being afraid of being accused of rape while there are guys who rape girls, but ironically I can't tell if that it in itself supposed to be satire.

          Because a guy raping a girl is clearly a crime and I know of no court which would rule otherwise, but at the same time there are men being found guilty of rape despite the supposed victim, her friends, and eyewitnesses all vehemently denying the allegations. One of these is justice for a crime and one of these is blatant sexism and an affront to justice.

          --
          Join the SDF Public Access UNIX System today!
          • (Score: 1, Troll) by gringer on Wednesday March 27 2019, @09:40AM (1 child)

            by gringer (962) on Wednesday March 27 2019, @09:40AM (#820556)

            I can't tell what the point of that song is...

            Because a guy raping a girl is clearly a crime and I know of no court which would rule otherwise

            How about the supreme court of the United States?

            In case you missed the start of the video, the song was written in the context of a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, in which Professor Christine Blasey Ford reported that she was sexually assaulted by the applicant, and members of congress pointed out that her statements were in part supported by evidence that the applicant freely gave out. The applicant was appointed to the supreme court anyway.

            --
            Ask me about Sequencing DNA in front of Linus Torvalds [youtube.com]
            • (Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Wednesday March 27 2019, @08:42PM

              by tangomargarine (667) on Wednesday March 27 2019, @08:42PM (#820928)

              They weren't ruling on whether he committed a crime. They were deciding whether to allow him onto the court.

              Still a stupid decision, but there's a difference.

              --
              "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @07:02AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @07:02AM (#820518)

        It's a bad time to be a guy (male suicide rates rising, male graduation rates, college acceptance rates falling, lots of programs and opportunities for girls and few for guys). That's why the MGTOW movement exists.

        Colleges are increasingly becoming degree mills anyway. There are plenty of jobs (software development) where degrees are not needed but are increasingly required by employers because they are too short-sighted to actually interview people. So, colleges increasingly become more about job training than actual education, in an effort to push out as many paper holders as possible and collect their money.

        The entire school system, from the K-12 system to the college system, is utterly abysmal and needs to be completely reformed.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @07:08AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @07:08AM (#820521)

        Yes for example in France. It's joked about that DNA paternity tests are illegal but that doesn't mean you get stuck with unwanted offspring.
        The offspring of your wife is legally supposed your biologic offspring but it's not your civil offspring unless you claim the child as such without 5 days of birth or later
        adopt it.
        There is absolutely no risk besides STDs to casual unprotected sex for the man.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @01:17PM (4 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @01:17PM (#820604)

        I'll add another danger of leaving birth control up to the woman: she may tell you she's on the pill, and she may be telling you the truth, but she omits telling you that some days she forgets to take it. Oh well! SURPRISE, MOTHAFUCKA!

        As a man, unless you are in a marriage with a woman you trust 100%, you simply have to wear a rubber if you stick it in her cooter.
        Rubbers are cheap, simple, and work -- IF YOU USE THEM EVERY TIME.

        • (Score: 2) by Immerman on Wednesday March 27 2019, @04:06PM (3 children)

          by Immerman (3985) on Wednesday March 27 2019, @04:06PM (#820716)

          Actually, if used every time, and always perfectly, condoms are about 98% effective - pretty good, but they still have a failure rate hundreds of times higher than most female birth control options.

          Meanwhile, out here in the real world people aren't perfect, and in practice they're only about 80-85% effective.

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 28 2019, @05:06AM (2 children)

            by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 28 2019, @05:06AM (#821181)

            As I said in my post (which you responded to): there are some women who can't remember to consistently swallow a pill.
            (Don't ask me how I learned.) Men, take responsibility for your reproduction and disease exposure. Wear the rubber every time. Exceptions only during marriage, etc.

            • (Score: 2) by Immerman on Thursday March 28 2019, @07:39AM (1 child)

              by Immerman (3985) on Thursday March 28 2019, @07:39AM (#821218)

              Sure, but the pill is the only form of female birth control that suffers from that problem. (Well, there's cycle monitoring, but that's so ineffective that it's hardly fair to call it birth control. Better than nothing, but not by much)

              It's also one of the least effective forms of (non-mechanical) female birth control, with IUDs, hormone implants, etc. being 10x to 1,000x or more more effective. And even then, the pill (taken properly) is still around 100x more effective than condoms (though some things, like St. John's Wort can neutralize its effectiveness).

              Condoms' 2% chance of pregnancy per year is a lot better than the baseline 80%, but a 1-in-50 chance of a completely life-changing outcome is still pretty high for a lot of people's tastes. Especially when you look at how the the risk compounds over time. Use a condom perfectly every time, and there's an 18% chance that you'll father at least one child within 10 years. Use it very-slightly-less-perfectly, for a 95% effectiveness, and that chance jumps to 40%.

              They're undeniably the best option currently available for men, but there's lots of room for improvement.

              Also, why the exception during marriage? Just because you're married doesn't mean you want to have (more) kids. Birth control within marriage is one of its most important uses - without it you should plan to have a new baby every 12-18 months.

              • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 28 2019, @07:31PM

                by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 28 2019, @07:31PM (#821470)

                All your points are taken.
                As for why the "in marriage" clause in my email?
                You left out the ", etc." part that came immediately after.
                I didn't feel like typing out the rest that I trust our Soylent readers could infer.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @01:59PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @01:59PM (#820634)

      Men have two choices right now: condoms or vasectomy.

      All other options require them to place their faith in their partner.

      It is great for women to have so many choices, but it would be nice if men had a choice that wasn't permanent and didn't affect the "feel" so much.

    • (Score: 2) by Immerman on Wednesday March 27 2019, @03:44PM (4 children)

      by Immerman (3985) on Wednesday March 27 2019, @03:44PM (#820703)

      >girl has to trust the guy way too much for casual sex anyway.

      You seem to be missing the point that this is a birth control pill for *men*, intended to benefit *men* (though it will also have benefit for women who have problems with the options available to them and trust their partners). Female birth control lets women have sex without fear of pregnancy, and without having to trust their partner. Male birth control does the same for men.

      >Paradox of choice; already too many options out there.

      Really? What choices are there currently *for men* who want to have sex without risking pregnancy? Vasectomy, condoms, and completely trusting their partner are all I can think of. Only the first is reliably effective, and carries a high risk of causing permanent sterility, so where are you seeing "too many options"?

      Condoms are obviously the only option for STD protection, and are thus recommended for casual sex, but they're not actually all that reliable at preventing pregnancy. For an sexually active couple they reduce the rate of pregnancy from around 80%/year for unprotected sex, to around 15-20%. They also interfere quite a bit with enjoyment by both parties, so are generally an unsatisfying solution in every respect. Doubly so when you're in an exclusive relationship where STDs are not a significant concern, but don't completely trust your partner.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 28 2019, @05:14AM (3 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 28 2019, @05:14AM (#821184)

        If you use a condom every time, as you yourself said in an earlier post, the effectiveness rate is very high.
        Look, I know you don't WANT to use a rubber -- nobody does. But don't run it down with bogus effectiveness numbers because of that.
        Your arguing that condoms are not that effective because people don't use them every time is like arguing seat belts are a crummy safety device because they don't work unless you wear them. Well, I guess.

        • (Score: 2) by Immerman on Thursday March 28 2019, @07:15AM (2 children)

          by Immerman (3985) on Thursday March 28 2019, @07:15AM (#821210)

          No, using a condom every time isn't enough - you must use it perfectly every time. That means it must fit perfectly, be put on perfectly, not be accidentally nicked by a fingernail or corner of the foil wrapper, not be broken by excessive friction, nor slide during the fun around to eliminate the "bubble" on the tip, and you must pull out instantly after ejaculating.

          Any departure from that, and the effectiveness is reduced.

          Plus, even if you always use it perfectly, there's still about a 1-in-50 chance per year of pregnancy (they're about 98% effective under ideal circumstances). Compare that to the typically 1-in-10,000 or lower chance of pregnancy from properly using most female birth control. Condoms are a LOT better than nothing, but are still an unacceptably high risk for a lot of people.

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 28 2019, @07:41PM (1 child)

            by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 28 2019, @07:41PM (#821473)

            As a service to the rest of our Soylent readers, proper condom usage is not to pull out "instantly" after ejaculation, but rather place your index finger and your middle finger to either side of the penis after final ejaculation, pulling up on the base of the condom. Withdraw before you become soft. Within 3 seconds is plenty. Wash off penis and hands.

            • (Score: 2) by Immerman on Friday March 29 2019, @04:32PM

              by Immerman (3985) on Friday March 29 2019, @04:32PM (#821876)

              Good point, and well worth clarifying.

              But that's still pretty "instant" compared to other birth control methods. It also severely interferes with the afterglow or a second lap. And it may be difficult, emotionally and even physically, if your partner is lost in the throes of her own (impending) orgasm.

              All in all, a lousy way to end an otherwise good time.

  • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 26 2019, @09:56PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 26 2019, @09:56PM (#820355)

    The side effects might include permanent emasculation after using the pill for a period of time, exactly what the khazar jewish rats designed it for. They paid money so non-jewish men can be emasculated and unable to have children, or these effect appearing in their children if and when they do have chilren. Also, the pills will end up in the environment, poisoning all living beings whether they want to be part of it or not.

    One can almost bet the khazar jews will make a law so it cannot be used by israeli khazar jewish rats.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 26 2019, @10:56PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 26 2019, @10:56PM (#820388)

    All-natural birth control, 100% free, always on hand.

  • (Score: 2) by Snotnose on Tuesday March 26 2019, @11:07PM

    by Snotnose (1623) on Tuesday March 26 2019, @11:07PM (#820392)

    Think 70's, us kids didn't really know what was involved at the time

    They made a new birth control for guys!

    Yeah?

    Yeah, it changes your blood type.

    / my how technology has changed since then
    // then again, my younger mistakes would have been 18 by the time DNA came around
    /// Me? I kept in touch with my partners, no unknown kids on my side
    //// Can't say about abortions, if they didn't tell me I don't know
    ///// Um, 3 slashies is the limit? How about PS, PPS, PPPS, PPPPS, etc?

    --
    When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
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