Balancing the burden of birth control

By Matt Bechtold

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Right here at the University of Kansas, researchers are working to provide another option when it comes to contraceptives. Listen up, fellas. This one's for you.

In the 1960s, a revolutionary new pill came onto the market and changed the way the world—and especially women—thought about sex. It has liberated millions of women over the years, putting the power to decide when, or if, they would have children squarely in their hands. The same option could soon be a possibility for men.

Conception control

Joseph Tash, Gustavo Blanco, William H. Kinsey and Leslie Heckert make up the core unit currently working on this project at KU Medical Center. The project's original leader at the University of Kansas, Gunda Georg, has since become head of the department of medicinal chemistry at the University of Minnesota, where her new position has brought extensive new resources to the project.

Tash is quick to point out that this is not a typical birth control pill. Unlike chemical birth control options for women that use hormones to trick the body into ceasing ovulation or make it more difficult for sperm to reach the egg, the male pill takes a completely different approach.

This chemical compound directly targets the creation of sperm cells, and this targeted approach greatly reduces the chance of side effects.

By effectively reducing the sperm count to zero, the drug reduces the chance of conception to zero. Rather than making it difficult for sperm to reach the egg, it simply takes sperm out of the equation.

Everything else functions normally, Tash says. Semen is still produced, but without the sperm cells necessary to fertilize an egg. Tash also says there was also no discernible change in the sex drive of the test animals.

The latest, most-effective version of this compound is called H2-gamendazole.

Nearly $20 million in grant money from the National Institute of Health has helped fund the monumental task of taking a new drug from concept to the medicine cabinet.

If this drug continues to proceed through tests without showing side effects or failures, it could be available for purchase in five to seven years. Tash warns, however, that the timeline for any drug's development is very unpredictable.

Are we ready?

Apart from abstinence, condoms and surgical sterilization are the only two ways a man can prevent pregnancy on his own.

A male contraceptive pill would be welcomed by many men who find condoms an uncomfortable, inconvenient or even a risky solution. They're still essential in preventing sexually transmitted diseases, but using condoms can get old pretty quickly in a monogamous, committed relationship known to be free of sexually transmitted infections.

And because this pill would allow fertility to return in a short amount of time by simply ceasing to take it, it's a great alternative to vasectomies—something most men don't like to think about, and very few men seriously consider until after they've fathered all the children they want.

With a male contraceptive pill possibly becoming available in as few as five years, the question of whether men, women and society as a whole will be ready to embrace it is coming to the forefront.

Shirley Hill, professor of sociology, says she thinks most men won't be ready to use something like this within the next five to seven years.

“I think there will certainly be men who have a vested interest in not having children and would like to control that more than they're able to today, so I think for some segment of the male population, it might be a very appealing thing,” Hill says. “But I think that a lot of other issues that surround the whole area of sexuality will make it more difficult for men to get on the bandwagon.”

Hill says because females would still carry the bulk of the responsibility of pregnancy, childbirth and raising children, a women would need to be in a relationship in which she could trust that her partner was responsible enough to remember to take the pill.

Another question remaining is how women will view this new chapter in the sexual revolution. Will they want to share this responsibility, or will they even accept it as something men should consider?

“There is something to be said for being the person that has that control,” Hill says. “I think there will be some women who are willing to share that control with men, but it takes a very trusting relationship, especially for the person who will bear the brunt of the responsibility if the product fails.”

Hill says there would be a difference between long-term relationships and casual relationships, but, she adds, “For the average woman meeting a man, do you really want to hear, 'Don't worry, I'm on the pill'?”

For society as a whole, shifting the burden of birth control onto the man’s shoulders might be met with some resistance.

“There will be a lot of psychological barriers to overcome,” Hill says. “With the whole masculinity issue, you hear people say something like, 'He's shooting blanks,' and it's probably in a derogatory way. So even if you're doing it on purpose, there's still a stigma attached to that.”

Hill says she thinks five to seven years is still too soon for this innovation to be accepted by most people.

Uncharted territory

First reactions to this new concept are typically cautious.

“I think that would be a possibility, something I may want to take,” says Matt Hainje, Leawood freshman. “But there are many other things to consider. If there were bad side effects, condoms are always an easy way without side effects.”

Other men, however, found it to be an appealing proposition.

“It would be something that would probably help everyone sleep better at night,” says Jordan Smith, Wichita freshman. “It would be another precaution to take, and if it's safe and works, then it would be a great thing.”

So what would it take for most men to be convinced that taking control of their own fertility is a good thing, and not just something for women to manage?

“It would be a really big project, because it's at the societal level of rethinking how we define manhood and masculinity,” Hill says. “I think there's a masculinity crisis already with men being displaced from the bread-winner role and something like this could even add to that. We're in the process of reassigning gender stereotypes, but that's something that will take a long time.”

Austin Nye, McKinley, Ill., freshman, says she thinks a male contraceptive pill would be a step in the right direction. “I don't think it's just a girl's responsibility to be safe,” she says.

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Comments

SarahReede (anonymous) says...

Dear Mr. Bechtold,

While updating the birth control content on WEGO Health, I came across your recent article about balancing the burden of birth control (http://www.kansan.com/stories/2008/se...). Not only informative of the current research being done, this article sparked my curiosity of whether women will truly be comfortable relinquishing the burden of birth control. WEGO Health now plans on featuring your blog post on our website in hopes of providing more thought-provoking resources for our current members.

WEGO Health is an open community that connects communities together. Health activists like you come to WEGO Health to connect with others passionate about helping people live healthier lives. Learn more about us here: http://www.wegohealth.com/about-us.html

We’d love you to join the community and introduce yourself. Please feel free to set up a profile and promote Balancing the burden of birth control on our website. I recommend you start here: http://community.wegohealth.com/ and consider joining one of the many groups we have there if you’re interested.
Another reason to register: oftentimes, we invite health activists like you to participate in one of our health industry insight groups. Thank you, and please keep up the good work!
Sincerely,
Sarah Reede
WEGO Health Activist
http://wegohealth.ning.com/profiles/b...

October 27, 2008 at 10:03 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

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