# The Pill for men- why isn't there one? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 27, 2002, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pill-for-men-why-isnt-there-one/145168 "2002-12-27T15:17:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![X\_Slayer\_ALE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbe5ce/32.png) [@X\_Slayer\_ALE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/X_Slayer_ALE)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pill-for-men-why-isnt-there-one/145168/21 "2002-12-27T18:46:33Z")
To prevent ovulation, the pill fools the female body into thinking it is pregnant and therefore doesnt need to make anymore eggs. How do you stop the male reproductive system from producing millions of sperm everyday? I believe there was one pill that was developed in the seventies but it had some dire side effects, which was erectile dysfunction and loss of labido (no sex drive). I’m sure marketing had a field day with that one. Basically women have an off switch for their reproduction system, men dont. Men are horny 24-7. ---
**Author:** ![thinksnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thinksnow/32/2849_2.png) [@thinksnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thinksnow)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pill-for-men-why-isnt-there-one/145168/22 "2002-12-27T18:50:56Z")
**Attrayant** (and any others that spout off), I’m 29, not some dumbass teen (no offence to SDMB teens, you’re likely not in this demographic) and in a monogamous, early but potentially long-term, relationship. Why the vitrior against Johnny One-Night when there has to be a Jill One-Night involved, too? Why put all the onus on her and all the blame on him. Why is it easier to say “Well, he’s a bastard because he could lie about using the pill” when, right now, that’s not even an option and one-night stands happen all the time? Please leave min-rants about one-night stand abuse and STD’s out of this, I just want to know the viability of an effective male version of the Pill. What _other_ people use it for is on them, much like the female version of the Pill. Got it? Fair enough? Good. ---
**Author:** ![thinksnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thinksnow/32/2849_2.png) [@thinksnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thinksnow)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pill-for-men-why-isnt-there-one/145168/23 "2002-12-27T18:52:01Z")
Vitrior = vitriol ---
**Author:** ![easy\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb8c5e/32.png) [@easy\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/easy_e)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pill-for-men-why-isnt-there-one/145168/24 "2002-12-27T18:54:51Z")
Most of the male contraceptive pills lower sperm count, but it doesn’t get down to zero. So there’s the issue of “how low is low enough?” ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pill-for-men-why-isnt-there-one/145168/25 "2002-12-27T18:58:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by X~Slayer(ALE) \* > \*\*How do you stop the male reproductive system from producing millions of sperm everyday? \*\* It helps if you read the thread, especially the links to recent literature that describes the answer to your question, or perhaps even just read quotes from the literature that have been thoughfully cut and pasted to this thread so lazy people don’t even HAVE to click the link. In case anyone is too lazy to even scroll, I will re-post it here: > [@](#): > > It deforms the sperms’ heads, and is reversible…“Male mice become infertile after taking the drug and regain their fertility when they stop taking the drug,” …Mice became infertile after taking the pill for 3 weeks, and they regained their fertility within a month of stopping the drug…the drug most likely interferes with the formation of substances called sphingolipids, which are necessary to form healthy sperm… ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pill-for-men-why-isnt-there-one/145168/26 "2002-12-27T18:59:44Z")
Sperm count is unaffected. Horniness has nothing to do with this recent study. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pill-for-men-why-isnt-there-one/145168/27 "2002-12-27T19:26:49Z")
> [@](#): > > Attrayant (and any others that spout off), I’m 29, not some dumbass teen (no offence to SDMB teens, you’re likely not in this demographic) and in a monogamous, early but potentially long-term, relationship. As already acknowledged, you’re in the “some people” demographic that I mentioned in my very first sentence. ---
**Author:** ![thinksnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thinksnow/32/2849_2.png) [@thinksnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thinksnow)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pill-for-men-why-isnt-there-one/145168/28 "2002-12-27T19:41:53Z")
My feeling is that the _vast_ majority of interested parties would fall in to the “some people” catagory and teens would be the minority. From the link **CarnalK** offered, it seems I’m far from alone: > [@](#): > > Apparently, many men would be interested in using hormonal contraceptives if they were available. The Edinburgh center recently conducted a large survey of men’s attitudes on this issue; the same questions were asked in Edinburgh and in South Africa, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. “About 90% of men thought a male hormonal contraceptive was a good idea,” Baird says. “About 60-70% said if it was available now, they would use it sometime within the next decade.” ---
**Author:** ![X\_Slayer\_ALE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbe5ce/32.png) [@X\_Slayer\_ALE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/X_Slayer_ALE)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pill-for-men-why-isnt-there-one/145168/29 "2002-12-27T19:42:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by UncleBill \* > \*\*Sperm count is unaffected. Horniness has nothing to do with this recent study. \*\* well then, you link actually shows the study where the motility of the sperm was affected. That may render them ineffective which technically is infertility but as you say sperm count is not affected. It does not stop the male reproductive system from producing millions of sperm everyday, and all it takes is that one lone sperm to penetrate the egg and thats all she wrote. Given that this drug affects the sperm, think of what kind of genetic problems that can be produced if a deformed sperm manages to impregnate the egg? as far as horniness is concerned, what good is a male pill if men dont want to have sex as a result? thats kinda overkill, dont you think? ---
**Author:** ![thinksnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thinksnow/32/2849_2.png) [@thinksnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thinksnow)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pill-for-men-why-isnt-there-one/145168/30 "2002-12-27T19:43:05Z")
Er, category. Seems not to be my day for word-smithing. ---
**Author:** ![montana\_cricket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@montana\_cricket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/montana_cricket)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pill-for-men-why-isnt-there-one/145168/31 "2002-12-27T19:54:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by thinksnow \* > \*\*The title pretty much sums it up- why isn’t there a version of the birth control pill for men? Surely it’s possible to retard the production of sperm without impacting the ability to orgasm, the quality/sensation of ejaculation, or the overall libido? \*\* And would you honestly trust a man to remember to take the pill every day?:smack: ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pill-for-men-why-isnt-there-one/145168/32 "2002-12-27T20:59:49Z")
> [@](#): > > And would you honestly trust a man to remember to take the pill every day? And would you honestly trust your wife to take her b.c. pill everyday? ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pill-for-men-why-isnt-there-one/145168/33 "2002-12-27T21:04:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Urban Ranger \* > \*\*Is it too much trouble to use a condom? Hmmm? \*\* No, its not too much trouble but it is a pain in the ass as we’ve been using them for 4 years so stop with the condescending attitude. We’ve been monogamous for 5 years. We have no STDs and we’re not about to catch any. We deeply trust each other. I’m 30 and Mrs. Bernse is 27. So, answer this: Why the hell can’t we use a pill? Do you have stock in Trojan or something? ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pill-for-men-why-isnt-there-one/145168/34 "2002-12-27T21:59:49Z")
There have been political issues on this topic as well. R&D for new birth control methods is expensive. Especially drug development. There is the feeling that conservatives would fight FDA approval of any new contraceptive - particularly something as drastically different from what is available now as a male temporary sterility drug. No one has really quantified how big a market there would be for a men’s pill. The feeling in the industry is that birth control is a woman’s problem and there won’t be a large enough market. I’ve seen a paper on this someplace - Guettmacher, Planned Parenthood, one of those, that talked about these issues. Don’t have time to search for it however. ---
**Author:** ![montana\_cricket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@montana\_cricket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/montana_cricket)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pill-for-men-why-isnt-there-one/145168/35 "2002-12-27T21:59:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bernse \* > \*\*And would you honestly trust your wife to take her b.c. pill everyday? \*\* All I know is that I took it after I got married for 3 years despite nasty side effects and when I quite doing that, I took the initiative to use a different form of birth control–only after witnessing two births was my husband willing to undergo what I refer to as my “V-surgery” (“v” for victory) and have the vasectomy. ---
**Author:** ![threemae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@threemae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threemae)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pill-for-men-why-isnt-there-one/145168/36 "2002-12-27T22:23:21Z")
> [@](#): > > Given that this drug affects the sperm, think of what kind of genetic problems that can be produced if a deformed sperm manages to impregnate the egg? Becasue this sugar apparently simply damages the physical bodies of the sperm and prevents them from being capable of doing this, it doesn’t seem to be a problem. This is not a virus or another agent which can alter the genetic make up of cells, and I see no particular reason to fear that it would. Additionally, some women don’t take the pill bacuse of the side effects CAN be horrendous. They may be moderate for some, but they can be horrible for others. I personally know two girls who stopped the pill due to weight gain, and I’m sure numerous dopers (IrishGirl?) have issues with the pill. If there is an oportunity for another pill with lower side effects, what’s wrong? Condom’s are relatively innefective to begin with, and there is nothing wrong with an additional layer of protection, especially in relationships where STD’s are not a principle concern. > [@](#): > > And would you honestly trust a man to remember to take the pill every day? And I should trust a woman? ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pill-for-men-why-isnt-there-one/145168/37 "2002-12-27T22:30:59Z")
**montana cricket** , welcome to the SDMB. Your family experiences are reflective of the people within your family, and an argument gets very tenuous if someone projects one’s personal experiences onto a much larger group. You may not trust your husband to take it, but **thinksnow** ’s SO may have a very different opinion than yours, as I can guarantee **thinksnow** is not the same person as your husband. For permanent birth control, tubal ligation and vasectomies are both options, but we are talking about non-permanent measures here. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pill-for-men-why-isnt-there-one/145168/38 "2002-12-27T22:35:04Z")
I see three words in the future… `Asked and answered.’ :rolleyes: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pill-for-men-why-isnt-there-one/145168.md?page=1)