AIBU to think the Adam male contraceptive implant could be beneficial if they can develop it without bad side effects?

[Carla786]

In a hypothetical situation where Adam works well & without any bad side effects (which is by no means guaranteed right now), I think it could be really positive.
I definitely don't think women having ONS or other kinds of casual sex should rely on a man saying 'I've got Adam, don't worry about condoms ', (which obviously should be worn for STD protection anyway) but I do think it could work well for women in relationships.
Obviously the side effects of the pill that we've heard about increasingly recently don't affect everyone, but ideally I think it's best for to be able to regulate without pills which disrupt hormones-IUDs are a good solution but can also have side effects. Condoms too but risk of breaking and of course affects sensation. A recent trend promoted cycle tracking, and that CAN work well - only provided it's done perfectly.

Obviously Adam might not be fully effective (likely not) and would probably be used by lots of couples along with something else.

Previous male contraceptive trials I've heard about were for pills, I think an implant is much better given it only takes one mistake for the man to potentially get his partner pregnant, and clearly he wouldn't bear the physical consequences.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/apr/24/non-hormonal-male-contraceptive-implant-lasts-two-years-trials

So, YANBU- Adam could be good news if it develops effectively

YABU- if it works, it won't be very helpful or even have bad effects

If you want a discussion then all points are valid.
Many posters have put forward negative views towardrs men, so why are you so averse to posters putting forward negative views about women.
Some women lie, shou we be ignoring that?
The truth is that a viable male contraceptive would generally be a good thiing for both sexes.
But both sexes could have negative views about it for both positive and negative reasons.

Why would the availability of a male pill stop a woman from taking her own precautions?

Why is the trust only for the man.

I agree with a charge of 'rape by deception' but that would have to work both ways- if a woman intentionally gets pregnant than the man shouldn't be held responsible.

Which is ridiculous.

Both sexes having a non condom option (because in long term relationships condoms are not the best means of BC) has got to be better.

I know some women lie. I'm less convinced false paternity is hugely widespread. I may be suspicious because I've seen exaggerated claims about it on here before which didn't stand up to scrutiny.

I agree with the last part though.

If we mive away from extremes and ONS, ee arrive at where most people are, fertile people in a LTR who do not want to conceive (maybe not now or ever [again]).

The issue with hormonal contraception is that it takes a physical toll on women. At some point in your long term relationship, you might want to stop experiencing those side effects (that can change as your body changes/ages) and for your male partner to be able to take the load on this front.

Vasectomy isn't always an option because it might not be that you don't want to ever conceive, you just don't want to conceive right now.

This is where a mid to long term option for men would benefit couples/families.

Yes I agree with that.

And if people really can't trust the person that they are in a LTR with, then the problems run deeper than contraception.

Great post. I think a major benefit of Adam could be giving women with trustworthy partners a break from condoms/pill etc

No not all but far too many are.
There was a study years ago that asked men if they would rape a woman if they knew that they could get away with it and about 75% said no. Then they asked about having sex with an unconscious woman, a woman who changes her mind and multiple other rape scenarios that dont involve a stranger without calling it rape and guess what over 50% would rape a girlfriend or wife because they don't see it as rape.
I'm off out in a bit but will try and find that study later for you to read

Why are we focusing on developing male contraception with no side effects when we have bad side effects for women. Can’t we sort that as well? Why do men get the better deal??

I don't know how widespread paternity fraud is and the percentages vary widely depending on who does the study, but over the years there have been many threads were the thread is 'I don't know who the father is'. Some with dates etc. but its all a guess.
But surely any way of reducing it to as close to zero as possible is a good thing?

I think men are far less interested in domestic life, and having children than women and the birth rate is already low. So I think you've dramatically overstated it, but basically yes.

Well if men get Adam & it works well, then in LTRs they could shoulder all the burden & women wouldn't need to take anything!

I agree that it is unfair women's contraception is still poor but hormonal contraception is harder to develop without bad side effects. The closest equivalent to Adam for women is the copper IUD, which doesn't have the same effects as the pill, though it obviously requires an operation.

You're never going to be able to adjust hormones without having variable side effects.

Was this the study done in a US college? I read one like that & it was very disturbing but I don't think men at US colleges should be generalised to all men. They seem to encourage misogynistic attitudes via frat culture all too often (think Brock Turner)

Was it this one?

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/men-dont-know-meaning-rape

I think it would be great if "accidental path to pregnancy" would close tbh... Children should be planned. Men still want to have families in general from my experience.

It's very common on MN to say that men need to take contraceptive responsibility. Well, hopefully this will be a viable option. I would trust DH with making sure the implant gets changed when needed. Would be great to have a pill break without having to talk a surgery - vasectomy

Agree totally

This is also true of the female pill though, and is not a reason not to develop it.

I agree with this. Anecdotally, in my experience, the only "accidental" pregnancies in my friendship group have happened in couples where the woman wanted a child and the man didn't and the women were taking the pill. Male contraception (that doesn't lessen sexual enjoyment like condoms) would stop these "accidents" from happening. Couples who want and plan babies will still do so.

It may not be that widespread but it’s more than you think

https://www.sciencefocus.com/qanda/men-discovering-their-children-arent-theirs-biologically

I'd certainly have gone for this if it worked and the side effects aren't too bad.

It wouldn't be a replacement for condoms for me, not early in a relationship anyway, because of the STD risk, but I'd certainly double up. DD turned up 11 months into my relationship with DP, despite both condoms and the pill, so an additional form of contraception really couldn't hurt!

The surgery aspect of it does make me slightly wary I'll admit. I've not had a vasectomy due to the fact that my Dad is one of the unlucky ones who has suffered lifelong pain following his, so I'd need some assurance that that's not a risk with this procedure.

The non-hormonal nature of it is a definite plus though.

I think this a good thing, and will give couples more contraceptive options without adding more of the responsibility to women to take sole responsibility for it

You'd be silly to not take your own precautions during a ONS or fling, but in a long-term relationship you do eventually have to trust the other person for it to work.

Yes, plenty of women have had that trust betrayed. But I've still gone through life trusting that DH isn't emptying our bank account to fund gambling or coke; that he is acting in our children's best interests; that he isn't cheating on me every time he goes on a business trip. This is just something else I'd have to take on trust, I can't see how human relationships can work any other way.

It’s not an either-or! And this particular method would not work well for women. Fallopian tubes are rather inaccessible compared to sperm ducts, and blocking a fallopian tube like this might increase the risk of ectopic pregnancies

No the 1 im thinking of was released around 2020 and it was a much larger study with more men and questions it could be the expanded 1 that article talks about (that article is from 2015). I'll look for it this evening when im back home.

No...men can absolutely control their own fertility..its called abstinence and condoms.

And men get out of CMS all the time. Its pathetic.

Abstinence would go down well in LTR, would it...
Condoms being introduced later in LTR would also raise eyebrows