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New Male Contraceptive Gel Enters Clinical Trials (cbslocal.com)
The first clinical trial is underway to test a new male contraceptive that could be a game changer for preventing pregnancy. From a report: "(It's) a combination of two horomones: Progestin, which is the typical horomone that is found in female contraceptive pills, which they put in there to suppress sperm production, to trick the body, and testosterone, which is the male sex horomone so that there's normal circulating levels of testosterone that men don't lose their libido or sexual function or have any changes in mood," said CBS News medical contributor Dr. Tara Narula.
The National Institutes of Health is enrolling about 420 couples to use an experimental gel that has been in development for more than 10 years. If proven effective, it would be the first hormonal birth control for men. The gel is applied to the back and shoulders. Researchers found that testosterone, once absorbed through the skin, stays in the system longer than testosterone taken in pill form does. Male volunteers will use the gel every day for four to 12 weeks.
The National Institutes of Health is enrolling about 420 couples to use an experimental gel that has been in development for more than 10 years. If proven effective, it would be the first hormonal birth control for men. The gel is applied to the back and shoulders. Researchers found that testosterone, once absorbed through the skin, stays in the system longer than testosterone taken in pill form does. Male volunteers will use the gel every day for four to 12 weeks.
Why is anyone still taking the Pill, when implants are so much more convenient and reliable?
Why is anyone still taking the Pill, when implants are so much more convenient and reliable?
Why don't you ask some women? They aren't all that scary, I promise.
I'll save you some time though:
1) Implants are decidedly less convenient if you decide you want to stop using it
2) Implants require a surgical procedure to install and remove - a minor one but still a procedure with risks
3) Women vary in their responses to medication
4) Higher up front cost (though typically cheaper in the long run)
5) Some types of medication make implants less effective
6) There are some side effects
7) It lasts for about 3 years and you have to remember to get it replaced
8) There are different long term health risk profiles
9) Some women just prefer one method over another
Typically the female contraceptive pill is about 90-95% effective, because people don't use it perfectly. So if you want to avoid having kids it's a good idea to use some other form of contraceptive too.
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SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
The pill basically works on women primarily by chemically simulating pregnancy, in order to suppress ovulation. So, you can either get pregnant or have many of the effects of pregnancy except having the baby and most of the weight gain, plus an increased chance of cancer (at least some of the various forms of the pill are classified as carcinogens).
If fact, almost all forms of contraceptives are disliked because of the various side effects. They are just disliked less than having a pregnancy and decades of child care. For instance, vasectomy has several side effects, including many that don't show up for years or decades: https://www.mayoclinic.org/tes...