Reliable Male Contraceptive In the Works

Hugh Pickens writes "The BBC reports that recent tests in China indicate a monthly injection of testosterone, which works by temporarily blocking sperm production, could be as effective at preventing pregnancies as the female pill or condoms. In trials in China only one man in 100 fathered a child while on the injections, and six months after stopping the injections the mens' sperm counts returned to normal. The lead researcher said that if further tests proved successful, the treatment could become widely available in five years' time. Previous attempts to develop an effective and convenient male contraceptive have encountered problems over reliability and side effects, such as mood swings and a lowered sex drive. However, despite the injection having no serious side effects, almost a third of the 1,045 men in the two-and-a-half year study did not complete the trials; no reason was given for this."

Possibly because it worked?

[powerlord]

... almost a third of the 1,045 men in the two-and-a-half year study did not complete the trials; no reason was given for this."

however their recent child support filings may lend a clue.

Huh?

[lars_boegild_thomsen]

And this story was posted to /. why?

say goodbye to your testicles!

[denominateur]

And as a useful side-effect, those pesky testicles will shrink and get out of the way.

Morning after?

[John Hasler]

But where is the male morning after pill?

Re:Possibly because it worked?

[ByOhTek]

Actually, if I remember correctly, excess testosterone gets converted into estrogen doesn't it?

I suspect those that stopped... Didn't like man boobs.

Re:Huh?

[tlapale]

Dunno, I thought this was a about the contraceptive performances of yet another MMORPG...

Re:Only 99%

[arth1]

Me too. Keep a picture of Janet Reno in your wallet.
That's as close to a 100% effective prophylactic as you can get.

Re:You're doing it wrong!

[dyingtolive]

Well, in this initial prototype, yes. Eventually when they get it in the water supply, you won't notice a thing. Does that thought depress you? Don't worry about that; the lithium in the water will curb those feelings of desire for suicide.

I'm going to take the tinfoil hat off now.

Re:Morning after?

[MichaelSmith]

But where is the male morning after pill?

Fire and forget.

Trials are done in China...

[denzacar]

Less Chinese being born, less tech jobs can be outsourced to China.

It's not the medical relevance - it's economy.

Hah, they dropped out because

[new death barbie]

"almost a third of the 1,045 men in the two-and-a-half year study did not complete the trials; no reason was given for this"

Nobody told them WHERE the injection goes.

Re:quit rate...

[Shakrai]

2.5 years of *injections* and 1/3 did not complete the term of the trials. Not surprising. Make it in pill form and you may have a higher completion rate...

But on the bright side we've created a form of contraception that heroin addicts can get behind ;)

Re:Only 99%

[Opportunist]

So do I, but that's unfortunately no solution for the heterosexuals amongst us.

Re:Morning after?

[Shakrai]

But where is the male morning after pill?

It's called the over-the-counter female morning after pill and breakfast in bed ;) "Here honey, I love you so much that I made you breakfast!"

Yeah, I'm going straight to hell.....

Re:Possibly because it worked?

[Anonymous Coward]

The real news here is the medical breakthrough hidden by the researchers: the 1/3 of the men that quit the treatment did so because they got pregnant.

Re:Only 99%

[scubamage]

FALCON PUNCH!?!?!?!?

Re:Only 99%

[griffjon]

You know, I practice abstinence. I practice it more than anything else - 20+ hours EVERY DAY I practice it, but still it doesn't work for me.

It's those other hours that I'm not practicing -- steep drop off effects.

IIRC, IANAD, but the 99% effective rating is not a per-encounter rating, but for a year of usage - i.e. 99% effective means that among 100 couples using it as their only form of birth control, 1 couple will conceive over the course of that year. Them's the breaks, and why it's usually a good idea to use 2 different methods. Bagging it also prevents things other than babies...

Re:Hah, they dropped out because

[Inda]

Injections (plural). You need to have two. One in each...

Oh my Lord. Brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.

Re:1% !

[oodaloop]

Yeah it's 100% effective for some and 0% for others. What we're trying to figure out is how many there are of each.

Re:Huh?

[L4t3r4lu5]

Indeed.

The best contraceptive I've found is an "Excellent" karma rating on /.

Re:Huh?

[MadKeithV]

Because /. is home to a lot of people that use the other reliable Male Contraceptive: Linux.

Re:You're doing it wrong!

[drinkypoo]

TMI ALERT (way more important than spoiler alert) I have found that it is possible for someone in this predicament to use the "Reality" female condom with the inner ring removed as a male condom. Much like the first, early review I read of such things, the experience is much like "porking a hefty bag". Still, if you put enough lube in it, it's almost like actual sex. Condoms are all terrible, though, and really the best thing to do is to find the right couple of girls to settle down with.

Don't hate on Slashdotters!

[Dareth]

They don't want to get their "Real Dolls" and other inflatable women pregnant any more than the next guy!

Re:Possibly because it worked?

[theturtlemoves]

Mainly because all the girls will be so testosteroned up that none of the guys will want to sleep with them.

Re:Deal breaker!?!?

[sukotto]

I have 2 kids under 5 and my wife's been hinting that number three might be on its way.

So yeah... I know all about that.

*shrug*

Re:Possibly because it worked?

[GameMaster]

Maybe the article writer is a fundamentalist Christian that believes all children are gifts from God and, thus, not a serious side effect.

Re:Possibly because it worked?

[captnbmoore]

Hey I Like my Moobs.

Re:Possibly because it worked?

[eiMichael]

That's right. Of those that completed the study, there were no serious side effects.

Re:Possibly because it worked?

[Maxo-Texas]

I would not want poked with a giant needle on a plane.
I would not want poked with a giant needle on a train.
I would not want poked
Oh yes I would not.
Wanting to be poked would be quite insane!

Re:Don't hate on Slashdotters!

[Anonymous Coward]

Do it, they are the quietest and most well mannered kids ever. No pooping, don't have to feed them (aside from giving them a bit more air once in a while) and they can start work at a very early age as crash test dummys!

Re:Possibly because it worked?

[Joce640k]

More likely:

a) They were married and the wife started nagging for a baby.

or

b) They weren't married and getting jabbed with a huge needle once a month "just in case I get lucky" gets old real fast.

Re:Possibly because it worked?

[pavon]

Returning to the MMR story, Wakefield has been widely discredited and hauled in front of the GMC and could be struck off.

Well I guess that's better than being hauled behind a GMC.

Re:1% !

[freaker_TuC]

A vasectomy is more effective.

Did you had that nickname before or after the vasectomy?

Re:Possibly because it worked?

[kiltros02]

I bet the rub on version would have a pretty high success rate.... say no more, say no more.

Re:Huh?

[sFurbo]

Ha, we foiled your plan by modding you insightful!

Re:Huh?

[Jah-Wren Ryel]

So do you think that the karma burn will increase my chances of re-producing?

No, but lots of people will tell you to go fuck yourself.