40% of men up for ‘the pill’

Abstract

In a nation-wide survey commissioned by the UK's Science Museum, four out of ten men aged 18–45 said they would be likely to take the male contraceptive pill. Recent trials of the pill – oral progestagen (desogestrel) combined with a subcutaneous source of testosterone to maintain libido – resulted in the complete suppression of spermatogenesis. The effects of the treatment were reversible. However, despite the promise of a new contraceptive option for men, those included in the survey expressed concerns about potential side-effects, and 56% of interviewees said that the risk of unforeseen long-term health problems would put them off the pill. Richard Anderson, who is leading trials of the male pill at Edinburgh University, agreed that the long-term effects of the male pill are unknown, but added that ‘the benefits of pregnancy-free sex are real and immediate’. If the trials are successful, the pill, produced by Organon, could be available in 2005. RC