# Male Contraception - a poll for the guys **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 16, 2013, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-contraception-a-poll-for-the-guys/655847 "2013-04-16T16:01:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-contraception-a-poll-for-the-guys/655847/21 "2013-04-16T20:04:30Z")
You forgot to put abstinence on the poll. Works for me ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-contraception-a-poll-for-the-guys/655847/22 "2013-04-16T20:18:32Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > You forgot to put abstinence on the poll. Works for me hahahaha Don’t ever change. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-contraception-a-poll-for-the-guys/655847/23 "2013-04-16T20:33:19Z")
Contraception is the responsibility of anyone involved who doesn’t want to make a kid, even if you’re reasonably certain your woman is biologically or physically unable to conceive–redundancy being the key to success in any mission. Not sure if that’s what is meant by “Men’s Health Topic.” As for the method: anything but rubbers, since we get to ignore STD’s in the hypothetical. In fact, if slash & burn weren’t the only reasonably certain option available in the real world, I would happily entertain another temporary solution. As for me, the exits have been sealed off for so long my own immune system is most likely killing the swimmers as soon as they’re made. Ain’t no fixing that. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-contraception-a-poll-for-the-guys/655847/24 "2013-04-16T20:33:40Z")
I voted for vasectomy in the poll and in real life. Do it once, and it is done. Have never regretted it. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-contraception-a-poll-for-the-guys/655847/25 "2013-04-16T21:06:09Z")
When I was young and single, I kept a box full of condoms under my bed, and stuck a couple in my pocket when I went out. When I hooked up or started a relationship, it was a foregone conclusion (for me) that I’d use one, unless and until she mentioned that she was on the pill. From that point on, as long as she and I were together, I’d leave it up to her to let me know if there was some change in that status. Since we’ve been married, we continued to use condoms for a few months until she went back on the pill (she had had a bad reaction to it years before and in the meantime, a better formulation became available). Once we were finished having kids, I offered to get snipped, and did. It was my pleasure. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-contraception-a-poll-for-the-guys/655847/26 "2013-04-16T21:21:30Z")
Curious for all the vasectomized men, if you were younger and obviously pre-surgery, would you still elect for the surgery over a pill or gel? ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-contraception-a-poll-for-the-guys/655847/27 "2013-04-16T21:51:00Z")
my pole has polled. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-contraception-a-poll-for-the-guys/655847/28 "2013-04-16T22:01:29Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > Curious for all the vasectomized men, if you were younger and obviously pre-surgery, would you still elect for the surgery over a pill or gel? No. It was not considered until we were sure we were done creating kids. I know they can be reversed, but with so many non-surgical options available, and with the decision about creating kids off in the future, we opted for more conventional and over the counter methods of birth control. FWIW, IMHO, when a couple decides they are done procreating, the vasectomy is far less invasive as a permanent solution than anything the woman would have to go thru. I tell guys that are done making kids to man-up and get snipped. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-contraception-a-poll-for-the-guys/655847/29 "2013-04-16T22:19:30Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > Curious for all the vasectomized men, if you were younger and obviously pre-surgery, would you still elect for the surgery over a pill or gel? If I’da known then what I know now, I would have gotten fixed on my 18th b-day. I love my kids, but I should never have made them. That’s a different thread. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-contraception-a-poll-for-the-guys/655847/30 "2013-04-17T11:06:42Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > Curious for all the vasectomized men, if you were younger and obviously pre-surgery, would you still elect for the surgery over a pill or gel? My snippage was 12 years ago. I like the permanence of vasectomy as birth control. There’s nothing to remember. If I were pre-kids I’d do something else. I’m OK with using condoms, so I’d have continued using them, unless there was a reason to use a less proven, higher tech form of birth control. I was concerned about my recovery, but even though I had to have another procedure done at the same time, my recovery was easy and pretty much what the doctors said it would be. Since we were talking about my nads :eek: I was concerned - wrongly concerned as it turned out. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-contraception-a-poll-for-the-guys/655847/31 "2013-04-17T11:12:44Z")
My point is guys who are done with making babies should man up and get snipped, and that doing so is easier than most guys think - easier than anything equivalent their gal would have to go through. IOW, what **snowthx** said. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-contraception-a-poll-for-the-guys/655847/32 "2013-04-17T12:02:08Z")
I’m old, single and have no desire to get in a relationship again. Condoms work for me because of the disease protection. If I was to get in a relationship again and a male pill or something was available I’d definitely take it. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-contraception-a-poll-for-the-guys/655847/33 "2013-04-17T13:25:53Z")
When we decided no more offspring, my wife and I tossed a coin. I won. I got the vasectomy a few weeks later. Before that, the only “male” contraceptive we used was condoms. I kind of like being vasectomized - no pills, no latex, nothing to do beforehand. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-contraception-a-poll-for-the-guys/655847/34 "2013-04-17T13:45:21Z")
From everything I’ve read, vasalgel sounds pretty good to me. Not ready to have a vascectomy even though I’m not planning on having kids. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-contraception-a-poll-for-the-guys/655847/35 "2013-04-17T15:17:22Z")
There’s too many potential downsides to a vasectomy, including the constant feeling of an ice pick stabbed into your testicles. It’s rare, but it [happens](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasectomy#Complications). The male pill, with young guys, would be more popular than Axe body spray and worn as proudly. They could put it on a lanyard as a way to announce that you’re having sex and are “safe” to have sex with. So many 18 year-old virgins would wear that thing. ---
**Author:** ![wheresmymind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@wheresmymind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheresmymind)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-contraception-a-poll-for-the-guys/655847/36 "2013-04-19T10:53:09Z")
The thought of a male IUD just made me cringe. A pokey plastic and metal thing floating around in there randomly jabbing at things? Yikes! ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-contraception-a-poll-for-the-guys/655847/37 "2013-04-19T12:35:34Z")
I really don’t like avoidable medical procedures, so I voted for option 1 and then condoms, pill, and patch. I’m a married straight male with no kids yet but I don’t feel this really affected my decision. Of course, if this changes in the future and we then decide to have no more children, I may have to re-consider. But I don’t see a problem with using condoms for the rest of my life, if I had to - I would rather that than any of the options involving needles. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-contraception-a-poll-for-the-guys/655847.md?page=1)