Lots of controversies have accumulated on the topic of male birth control, and things have been going like this for quite a while now. A few years ago large pharmaceutical companies like Schering, Organon or Wyeth announced the production of hormonal birth control designed especially for men, but the results of their research hasn’t been finalized yet. Why? Because the investments are huge and the market is not that receptive to male birth control pills. So far, many drug manufacturers have abandoned their projects, stopping research programs in progress.

Statistics show a certain willingness on the part of men to use alternative forms of birth control. Normally, male birth control is administered as an injection with testosterone that would prevent the production of sperm. A certain prejudice has been recognized with women because many are reluctant to trust men to follow such treatments. For the moment, vasectomy is the only viable male birth control option, yet, few people are willing to try it. How is hormonal birth control supposed to work for men?

The male birth control solution has to combine testosterone with progestin so as to suppress the production of sperm but with process reversibility. This is not possible with a pill because the testosterone would be too quickly broken down by the liver. The solution seems to come from a monthly shot, or the combination of the ingredients in a topical products such as a cream. Biannual implants could also be a solution, but the procedure required is considered too invasive.

Between 10% and 15% of men have a low reaction to hormonal male birth control, which is quite a high rate of non-response. Too many cells have to be blocked which certainly raises an issue. While with female hormonal treatments, the egg is the only cell that has to be blocked from ovulation, with birth control male, there are millions of spermatozoon that have to be inactivated. Race also seems to affect the efficiency of this birth control method although researchers don’t know why.

Condoms definitely make the most viable form of male birth control. Couples successfully use condoms, and so do people who have occasional sex. It is the only birth control method that is non-invasive and protects against pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.