A male contraceptive injection that lasts 10 years – and can even prevent men from passing on HIV to partners – could be available within the year, experts believe.
The technique called Risug (Reversible inhibition of sperm under guidance) creates a gel barrier in the male body that stops the sperm from being able to fertilise an egg once they pass through it.
Final trials have been completed by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology and experts believe that the jab could be available within the next 12 months.
It would offer men a simpler and less permanent solution than a vasectomy, experts believe, while also being reversible at any time and less painful than the snip.
However, researchers looking into the uptake of male contraception are concerned that men will avoid the procedure.
The difficulty with any form of male contraception is how many women will believe men who say they are using it? There being those obvious reasons why one party to the activity is more interested in confirmation of that truth here than the other.
Few years back there was a debate on Woman’s Hour about the possible advent of a male contraceptive pill.
It was viewed as a problem because men might be ‘on the pill’ and not declare it to the broody women they’re with. It was suggested that it might be necessary to legally compel men to declare they were taking the pill or, to only allow it to be prescribed if the mans partner was informed.
“The difficulty with any form of male contraception is how many women will believe men who say they are using it? There being those obvious reasons why one party to the activity is more interested in confirmation of that truth here than the other.”
I suspect the real opposition to such a procedure will not come from women who are worried about getting pregnant, as they already have methods to prevent that, ones that a man cannot know about just by having sex with her, its going to come from those in relationships who might want to get pregnant, but suddenly no longer hold the keys to that happening. Thats where the real opposition is going to come from – those who face a loss of control over whether they can get pregnant when they want to.
As it stands a woman can be on the pill or not, and can lie about both scenarios. A man can wear a condom or have a vasectomy. He can’t lie about the first and while he can about the second, its a) rather a big step most men aren’t going to take lightly, and b) hard to hide in a committed relationship. So a simple, easily reversible and undetectable method of contraception for men would put them in the same position women are re the pill – able to lie about having it, or not having it. Thats what would be the real bone (arf arf) of contention – allowing men to control their likelihood of being a father on the same terms as woman can.
Jim – I’m with the women on this one, we don’t need any more weird science to turn babymaking into sterile fucking.
Also I reckon you’d have to be an idiot to let them inject you with anything that lasts 10 years.
Well I’m certainly in favour of preventing the spread of aids.
But apart from that, I can’t see a problem. As Jim points out, it’d definitely be useful for a bloke who didn’t wish to father a child.
But even now, if the lady says ‘Surprise, surprise!! Where’s the child support’, you can insist on genetic testing.
Steve. You have a point about someone injecting you with something that lasts 10 year. But that’s vaccines for you.
After the last couple of years who on earth is going to take a jab on some doctor’s promise that it is safe and effective?
Doctors – bar some tiny minority – have proved themselves to be fools, crooks, or cowards.
“and can even prevent men from passing on HIV to partners”
Interesting.. Given that the method does not in any way block prostrate and Cowper fluids from coming out, nor does it inhibit any form of blood-blood contact through thin, sensitive mucous membranes.
Which are the main vectors for transmission of viral and bacterial STD’s..
But hey…Moichandoising!!
” I’m with the women on this one, we don’t need any more weird science to turn babymaking into sterile fucking.”
Well ban the pill then. As it stands women can control whether they get pregnant or not in a way that men cannot tell whether they are lying or not. Even up the field a bit, give men the same rights to control their own fertility in secret. After all the consequences for a man in a modern society of fathering a child are arguably greater than for the woman, certainly in financial terms if nothing else. So if women can ‘oops’ a man into becoming a father, then men ought to be able to ‘oops’ a woman into a childless relationship.