This article in the New York Times science section relates a study of precocious puberty linked to the father’s use of testosterone products. Apparently the man was using a testosterone cream to enhance performance, and young son and daughter had absorbed significant amounts just by normal physical contact. Both exhibited signs of premature puberty and in the son’s case, aggressive tendencies.
Is it likely that a male sexual partner of a woman using oral contraceptives might be absorbing estrogen and progesterone during sexual relations?
Hormonal contraceptives contain VERY small doses of each hormone, just enough to be “used” in a single day (i.e. there is no build-up of these hormones in the woman’s body over time. As soon as she stops using the contraceptive, she becomes fertile again). These differ significantly from high-dose testosterone creams (or whatever) – especially the dosage.
Also the testosterone comes in the form of a cream which stays on the skin open-aired after application, which can easily be transferred to others through hugs, sex, or handshaking. (AFAIK trans men who use T cream use it on the chest and large muscles of the arms and legs, I assume nontrans men would put it in the same location, but some would linger on the hands if they were not thoroughly washed.) How would BC that comes in the form of a pill (or even patch–the BC patch is covered at all times so the cream or whatever it is couldn’t touch their partners’ body) even get into someone else’s body through casual contact? Do you get the effects of someone’s antibiotics from touching their sweat? I guess you could make a case that hormonal BC is released into the environment through urine (like the Viagra-tainted lakes) but not casual contact. Are there any scientific studies of the effects of watersports?
Also like Beadalin said the amount of estrogen/progestin in BC is very low and not intended to be a feminizing agent. The high doses of E/P given to trans women and menopausal women, maybe. But regular BC doses are extremely low, the progestin in mine is less than a milligram I think. So I don’t think it would have much of an effect hormones-wise on someone who’s not supposed to take it.
I think the only way to be sure is repeated experimentation. I’ll volunteer myself if no one else is willing to step forward. You know, for the sake of science and everything…