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A Suggestion on Men’s Choices

Lauren

While I find these discussions thought-provoking, and believe questions of equality and accessibility are of utmost importance in the social and political spheres, we might remember that some of the energy used to debate a man’s place in terms of choice could be aimed at lobbying for more effective male contraceptives.

Recommended: Not to be a Pill, but…

Let’s excuse some of the disparaging language in the above article and focus on the salient points:

1) Pharma has been reticent to develop birth control for men because of the pervasive belief that a) women don’t trust men to use it, and b) men are too irresponsible to be dependable. Wrong and wrong. Studies show that men are willing to be medically responsible for their own reproductive functions, and a significant portion of women report that they would trust their SOs to use birth control responsibly.

2) Pharma doesn’t believe that they will make money off of successful hormonal male contraceptives. Maybe — though the profit margin on female birth control is small, women’s widespread, normative use over time covers research and marketing expenses quite nicely. This ought to carry over to men’s BC as well.

3) The myth that hormonal male contraceptives make men into girls. Wrong — while they work differently than female hormonal birth control, recent research shows promise for easily reversible methods for men, none of which involve menarche, shrinkage or breasts.

4) Money. Private donations are down, corporate budgets don’t make annual increases like they used to, and big pharma spends a pretty penny making sure we all have our Viagra hats, Seasonale pens, and NuvaRing Superbowl commercials (right). Though the pro-marketing argument defends this spending on grounds of covering research costs, it would be easy to argue that this is the kind of research that is not only socially smart, but smart for business as well.

If we are committed to exercising the widest range of reproductive choices, including a man’s reluctance to father and support a child, this is a possibility that would do us all a great deal of good. Make every pregnancy a wanted pregnancy — for both parties.

25 thoughts on A Suggestion on Men’s Choices

  2. It’s a money/marketing thing. Pharma research is geared towards making profite more than helping the greater good, so they focus on products that will sell. (hello anti-depressants, baldness “cures” and viagra.” Men spend $$$ on viagra to be more manly – even when they don’t need it, but how many would spend $$$ to be less “manly?” Married men with kids get mocked for vasectomies – which don’t do anything but send the sperm to their doom, so can you imagine the perception of a hormonally “neutered” man?

    Also, sadly, I think the number of men sincerely concerned about avoiding pregnancy – enough to alter their hormones – is too too small. A billion dollar solution would be a male birth control pill that just happened to mimic HGH

  4. Men spend $$$ on viagra to be more manly – even when they don’t need it, but how many would spend $$$ to be less “manly?” Married men with kids get mocked for vasectomies – which don’t do anything but send the sperm to their doom, so can you imagine the perception of a hormonally “neutered” man?

    Those perceptions are sexism at its finest. I argue that we ought to disregard to negative perceptions of “neutered” masculinity and forcibly make the case for what this is: a reasonable, responsible, adult decision in favor of bodily autonomy and greater reproductive equality.

  5. I’ve always questioned whether the paranoia over anabolic steroid abuse has limited scientific inquiry into their possible use as contracpeptives; certainly it’s limited scientific inquiry into obvious applications such as limiting/reversing physical wasting in AIDS/cancer/etc patients f/e…

  7. I realize this is an unpopular method, but i’ve found that keeping my dick out of other people’s vaginas works well.

    “But I wanna fuck without making babies! Waaah!”

    Tough shit. I wanted to go see the Transformers movie without having to see the fucking Care Bears movie too.
    Fuck, or no babies. Pick one and quit whining.

  8. David, your comment above has greatly increased my understanding of why you are the way you are. And I suspect I speak for others here as well. Thank you.

  9. I’m also mortified he likes the transformers movie. I have to do some serious thinking about where I place Unicron in my mental pantheon…

  10. David: thanks, I’ll tell my girlfriend you recommend we have more anal sex.

    Transformers movie rocked BTW. So many hard-hearted boys cried when Optimus died…

  11. I’m into bodybuilding and visit sites dedicated to this. I have not interest in test injections (I do it for fun and health no to win competitions). I know from those who do use them that a major side-effect is, pardon the term, “bitch-tits”. Basically guys who take extra testosterone end up up growing breast tissue around their nipples since extra amounts of test are converted to estrogen by the body. Their testes also tend to shrink. This is why even the biggest, freakiest bodybuilders go 4-6 weeks on and at least 6 weeks off. That wouldn’t be a good situation for birth control.

    The “pill” has a long history and has known side-effects but none that I know of require plastic surgery to fix. I personally would be very careful with any male pill until a lot of other guys had successfully tested it. Given that, as long as it was only temporary, I would definitely use it. Remembering to take it wouldn’t be a problem for me. It is just a matter of discipline.

  12. I’m also mortified he likes the transformers movie. I have to do some serious thinking about where I place Unicron in my mental pantheon…

    I have to admit that own a copy for nolstagia (how the hell do you spell that word) sake. So sue me. My GF has a box with Sheera dolls and Archie comics from her childhood so I figure one VHS can’t be too bad.

  13. I’m also mortified he likes the transformers movie. I have to do some serious thinking about where I place Unicron in my mental pantheon…

    Just the fact that you remember the name Unicron tells us something;-).

  15. Not that I want to derail this topic, but low doses of test/whatever that would be used for contraceptive use should not carry such a risk of gynecomastia; also non-androgenic drugs tend not to aggravate/cause such side effects in the first place (and they’re being used for AIDS and cancer patients already in some cases, even w/o cycling). Bodybuilders take multiple drugs at super high doses, and will prefer the “harsher” more androgenic drugs that carry higher risk, because they also offer greater payoff in terms of what they’re looking for. Testes shrink because there’s no need for them to produce testosterone when you’re injecting yourself with an order of magnitude more than the body will produce naturally. Bodybuilders tend not to care about their testicles (I guess if they could flex them they would), and either use other drugs to prevent gyno or just get it cut out, so most don’t actually cycle in real life. From what I know of the “sport,” bodybuilding is a sad, unfulfilling life overall (at least in the untested feds); there’s a lot of shady stuff even apart from drug use and dealing–“posing” for private clients being one example.

  16. I’ve had three long-term sexual partners that I know for a fact weren’t able to take their pills regularly (i.e. on the right day, etc…). It got to the point with one of them that I was reminding them on a daily basis. So I agree the whole notion that

    b) men are too irresponsible to be dependable

    is pretty unfair. I think it’s more likely that there will be responsible and irresponsible men just as there are responsible and irresponsible women.

    As for a male contraceptive, I’d definitely be interested, because then I wouldn’t have to worry about the other person forgetting to take their pill.

  17. studies show that men are willing to be medically responsible for their own reproductive functions,

    Well, they don’t want to get somebody pregnant and be responsible for the kid, that’s for sure.

  18. Well, they don’t want to get somebody pregnant and be responsible for the kid, that’s for sure.

    That’s what abortion is for isn’t it?

    (Yes Virginia, that was sarcasm. Sorta. Thanks for the stereoyping.)

  19. ‘Megatron must be stopped, no matter the cost.’

    And not only can I fuck with no resultant babies, I want to fuck with no babies, I will work to more thoroughly and conviently secure the end of fucking with no babies, and lobby my representatives to our government to aid me in this. Vote YES on sex, vote NO on mandatory natalism!

  20. My husband would take a male pill everyday… I’ll easily admit he’s the more responsible of the two of us (although I did pretty welll for the three years I was on the pill, I think only forgot it once or twice). I think it would be great to have that extra protection too… if we’re both on it, chances of an unplanned pregnancy go down a lot without having to use condoms, which we both hate.

  21. As for a male contraceptive, I’d definitely be interested, because then I wouldn’t have to worry about the other person forgetting to take their pill.

    That’s how I feel about it. But until I got my tubal, I tried to use at least two forms of BC, since I’m a belt-and-suspenders kind of gal.

  22. Fuck, or no babies.

    Actually, you can fuck people of the same gender as you, and still have no babies. It’s win-win.

    Lauren, a couple of problems not mentioned in your article (but apparently an issue for Big Pharma’s marketing) is that women don’t trust men not their long-term partners to use the male pill, and men are less willing than women to accept a Pill’s side effects.

  23. Actually, you can fuck people of the same gender as you, and still have no babies. It’s win-win.

    Or just don’t have vaginal intercourse. There’s lot of other fun things to do. 😉

  25. I’ve been wondering about a male pill for years. It’s about time there was an equivalent to the female pill… as it is now, so many women end up completely shouldering the problems of BC. Personally, I’ve found it’s a hassle — multiple trips to the gyno, worrying every single day about taking the d*#@ thing, side effects, etc. After about 6 years, I seemed to have a negative reaction to the type I was on, and suddenly had to deal with dry eyes and contact lens rejection. I’m MORE than ready to sign my bf up for a male pill (and he’s quite ready, too, if only to give me a break) — it’s really only fair. Men should have an option they can be in control of besides the condom (which, in my experience at least, guys are not a huge fan of when in a committed relationship); and women shouldn’t be the only target of the majority of BC options.

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