To think there was a male pill there would be a lot fewer babies?

[wayofseeing]

Well provided they took it of course but this was in the press today about them developing a male pill and after reading some comments online and recalling discussions I have had with male friends I think a male contraceptive pill / injection would devastate the birth rate!

A friend of mines wife is currently carrying their first child but he has told me he did not really want a baby but went along with it to please his wife and is currently dreading fatherhood. My brother in law, loves his daughter but would not have choosen to have a child if he could go back. I only personally know one man who is the driving force behind having children in his relationship.

I am not saying all men, at all times want to avoid fatherhood but I can see that use of a male contraceptic especially an injection would lead to plummeting birth rates. Also would men clain not to be on the pill to dupe women wanting a child in the way men accuse women of saying they are on the pill but then not taking it to dupe men into fatherhood.

What do you think, scary don't you think?

Why would he be relying on a woman? There are still condoms even without the male pill!

But even with condoms accidents can happen. And after conception, he doesn't get any say at all.

As the mother of a teenage boy (or being male in fact) that must be terrifying.

At least I know, should my condom break, I can deal with it whichever way I choose.

More choice is always good!

My DH has a terrible memory so I would not trust him to remember to take it. I don't think he would intentional not take, just the same as I would not have intentional not taken the pill.

I don't think there are many women who pretend they are on the pill and then don't take. I am aware of many couples who were just not using contraception but were not trying for a baby! They all seemed surprised when they got pregnant.

i think it's great from a long term, faithful relationships point of view but I do worry that a form of hormonal contraception for both sexes will see a rise in STD/STIs as fewer people use condoms and are not protected from disease/infection.

More choice is always good!

Of course, i totally agree. I was just questioning the comment about the son relying on a woman for his contraception. I took that to mean female pill and no condoms.

"Being reluctant to have children" and "taking a male birth control pill while letting your wife think you're trying to conceive" are two different things. I don't really see the latter happening very often. How often do women in relationships secretly take the pill when their partner wants to conceive?

It's not as if there aren't women who are too flaky to remember to take the pill correctly, either.

I'm sure people lying about being on birth control does happen, but I wonder how often it happens. I suspect it's less common than accidental misuse of birth control or random birth control failure as a cause of unwanted pregnancy.

The male pill would be a good thing because it would result in fewer unwanted pregnancies, give men who don't want to have children more options for not doing so, and make doubling up on contraception easier for couples who really don't want children.

I don't think I would trust any partner of mine to take the pill . I don't really know why. I just know I wouldn't and I would have to keep taking my pill too.

Also I would be worried in case the introduction of a male pill would reduce condom use, thus increasing the numbers of STD's.

The only way the birthdate would drop is if men actually had the consequences ie they got pg and they gave birth.

What I mean is at the moment there is a choice of use a condom or rely on the woman using contraception.

with the male pill it will allow more choice .

The sooner the better; there's a thread today about some men not carrying on seeing their children when they leave the family home. Men need to take equal responsibility for having children and so should have choice in contraception as women have. Perhaps if men actively want children - and can control that - the number of feckless fathers will reduce.

However i wonder if the male pill will have anywhere near the same physical and hormonal side effects as the female one does? If so then i cant see many jumping to take it. I refuse to take hormonal contraception after experiencing what it did to me

I wondered about this too. I now refuse to take hormonal contraception as it affects me really badly. I suspect any negative side effects resulting from the male pill would be taken a lot more seriously than they are with the female one (though that wouldn't be hard to do seeing as the female side effects are given pretty much no attention to).