Well, well, well – once again further proof that women are the stronger sex, and if not that, then at least the sex who has to put up with the most.
Yep, is what seemed like the answer to our prayers, a new study showed that a 96 per cent effective male contraceptive was viable – emphasis on the was.
320 men between 18 and 35 were injected with 200mg of a progestogen called norethisterone enanthate, and 1,000mg of a long-acting androgen called testosterone undecanoate, to test if it would suppress their sperm count for up to 26 weeks.
“The study found it is possible to have a hormonal contraceptive for men that reduces the risk of unplanned pregnancies in the partners of men who use it,” said Mario Philip Reyes Festin, MD, told Newswise. “Our findings confirmed the efficacy of this contraceptive method previously seen in small studies.”
So far so good, right? Well not really, because the promising study was halted in 2011 because the effects were too much for the men to bear – poor lambs. Participants reported mood disorders like depression, acne, and muscle pain and began to drop out (although 75 per cent did say they would still use it despite the side effects).
So basically the contraceptive was halted because they couldn’t deal with the exact same things we women have to go through with our contraceptives. Great, thanks. Oh, and not only do we have to put up with these side effects from the likes of our pills and bars, we have periods each month AND we have to go through childbirth.
So this foray into the male contraceptive has basically concluded that until a male contraceptive is made that has NO side-effects, there won’t be one.
It’s true ladies – life is hardly fair.
