Male birth control by way of pills is almost a thing. But will guys really take it?
Those familiar with female birth control pills know, it’s essentially a once-daily pill that suppress ovulation by fudging with your hormones. The male equivalent would work roughly the same.
A recent study that included 100 healthy men, ages 18 to 50 years, showed that a new birth control pill for men called dimethandrolone undecanoate (aka DMAU) appears to be safe when used daily by men for a month. Effective too.
Released in March 2018 in "The Endocrine Society," the study goes on to say, “Like the pill for women … DMAU combines activity of an androgen (male hormone) like testosterone, and a progestin, and is taken once a day.” At the highest dose of DMAU tested, 400 mg, subjects showed suppressed levels of testosterone and two hormones required for sperm production. “These levels are consistent with effective male contraception shown in longer-term studies,” said Stephanie Page, M.D., PhD, professor of medicine at the University of Washington, Seattle, who spearheaded the research.
“DMAU is a major step forward in the development of a once-daily ‘male pill'," Page goes on, adding that “Many men say they would prefer a daily pill as a reversible contraceptive, rather than long-acting injections or topical gels, which are also in development."
So to find out for ourselves, we asked a bunch of men (anonymously, so they'd tell the truth) what they really think about taking male birth control pills.
“That’s a thing?”
“All for it. I’m surprised it took this long for it to be developed. I can’t wait for the day where a girl leans over and whispers in my ear… are you on the pill?”
“If there was a shot of some form, I can't see why guys would be against it.”
“I don't know if I'd be a big fan of messing with my hormones.”
“I have two kids. Women bare the biggest weight of having kids, which is tough. The pill and IUDs can cause a heavy chemical and hormonal imbalance which can lead to heart problems and other difficulties. I say why not put some of the weight on guys?”
“If they make them gummy bears, I’d consider it.”
“I’m all for it, under the assumption that it doesn’t have significant harmful side effects.”
“If I had access to a daily pill, patch, or simple treatment that my health insurance would cover, I would absolutely take advantage of it.”
“I wanted to get male birth control but vasectomy was the only option, so I got the snip. Was feeling guilty about putting all the responsibility on women.”
“All for it.”
“If it's in pill form then no. I would forget every day.”
“I’d probably try them honestly because at the end of the day you shouldn’t rely on someone else to be the person taking anything if you don’t want to have a kid.”
“If it’s safer for men to be taking the pill than women then we definitely owe it to them.”
“Would obviously be interested in learning about the side effects and such but it'd give me another option rather than the good old pull out method. No me gusta condoms.”
“I'd be down for it honestly, as long as it weren't permanent and easily reversible. I guess the topsey-turvey emotions would be an issue but hey, I wouldn't have a little hellspawn running around.”
“I think if people want them they should have the ability to access them.”
“I want them ASAP because I’m afraid my wife wants another baby.”
“Since there are condoms and birth control pills for women, the idea of a birth control pill for men seems rationale.”
“Assuming things are safe and healthy, then yes, male birth control pills seems like a good idea to me.”
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