Male Contraceptives: Needed or Nuisance? May 5, 2009
Posted by Katelyn Mack in Gender, Technology.2 comments
Scientists say we may be one step closer to a male injectable contraceptive that by reducing sperm count prevents pregnancy in 1 in 100 men. While widespread distribution is (likely) still a long way off, it got me thinking about what the challenges and implications may be for introduction of this new technology in the US and in developing countries.
One of the challenges discussed in the article is that “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.”
If mood swings and lowered sex drive were legitimate reasons for not releasing or using contraceptives then why are women using the Pill and other hormonal injections? Is it crazy to expect men to put up with a few side effects the way their partners do on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis?
Another potential barrier to these new technology is the time to recuperation of normal sperm counts among the men who receive injections. The article suggests that it takes as many as 6 months to regain “normal” sperm counts. Will this be incompatible with the norms of “masculinity”? Will men be willing to risk infertility for months post-use?
What do you think about this technology? Is it OK for women to bear the brunt of the contraceptive burden? What might women “give up” by relying on partners’ use of contraception?
In short — is this a much needed change or will it lead to more problems than it solves?
