While I think this is a great idea--more protection (or at least the option of it) is always better, and it would be wonderful if women didn't always have to take the full responsibility for the medical options of birth control--I think that a lot of men would be uncomfortable with the idea of having ineffective sperm (assuming that there were other reliable birth control methods available, which there usually are). Am I wrong there, guys?
This does seem like it would be great for families (like ketchupqueen's) where the woman cannot use the pill for health reasons. I'm just not sure how many men would use it outside of those situations.
Other thoughts on the matter?
Posted by Xavier (Member # 405) on :
I'm not sure if I would use it or not. Niki is on the patch herself, which is something like 99.999% effective, and all me going on the patch would do is add a couple of 9's to that number.
Maybe we could take turns?
Posted by twinky (Member # 693) on :
Redundancy in contraception is never a bad idea. Assuming the swim team would regain its, er, full potency when I went off the patch, I'd definitely do this.
Posted by zgator (Member # 3833) on :
I think the potency would return quickly considering how much of the stuff we men produce.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
If it had a high enough success rate I would have used this. Teres had problems with the pill and developed medical complications with both pregnancies.
Instead I got a vasectomy a while back. Easier all around.
Posted by odouls268 (Member # 2145) on :
quote: think that a lot of men would be uncomfortable with the idea of having ineffective sperm (assuming that there were other reliable birth control methods available, which there usually are). Am I wrong there, guys?
No. No you are not wrong. I need my torpedos ready to deploy at a moments' notice.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
I suppose that if I were a man interested in sowing my wild oats without having any of them actually sprout, I'd be interested in such a patch.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I woouldn't have a problem with taking a drug that rendered my sperm ineffective. I don't plan on having kids anyway, so I wouldn't even be terribly upset if its effects were permenant. I would be concerned about side effects of the drug, though, and wouldn't be an early adopter for that reason.
Posted by odouls268 (Member # 2145) on :
quote: control, misogyny, paranoia
...previous experience, empirical evidence, etc.
It wouldn't neccesarily be in the guy's head.
Posted by Megan (Member # 5290) on :
quote:The other side of the coin is having to trust the woman to be entirely responsible for birth control. A lot of men are not comfortable with that for various reasons (control, misogyny, paranoia, etc). For them, a patch makes a lot of sense.
Odd, I've met plenty of men who were just fine and dandy leaving the woman to be entirely responsible (financially and otherwise) for it, and based on at least one other post in this thread, I suspect I'm not the only one.
Posted by pfresh85 (Member # 8085) on :
It wouldn't bother me to have ineffective sperm, as long as they became effective again within a short time after stopping.
Posted by odouls268 (Member # 2145) on :
Im gonna be the official hack this morning and point out the fact that patches (nor pills for that matter) do not protect against STDs.
Wrap 'em up gentlemen. And ladies, make them wrap 'em up.
It's an icky world out there.
Posted by odouls268 (Member # 2145) on :
Keepitinyourpants: The only 100% effective FDA approved contraceptive.
A message from the Abstinence Ad Council
Posted by zgator (Member # 3833) on :
I'd like to think that by now I know whether my wife has an STD or not.
Posted by TheHumanTarget (Member # 7129) on :
quote: Keepitinyourpants
If I keep it in your pants, my wife might get really upset...
Posted by odouls268 (Member # 2145) on :
If anyone other than she gets ANYthing in my pants, MY wife might get really upset.
But by that point it'd be moot because if anyone else gets into my pants it's because they have pried my cold dead fingers off my firmly fastened belt buckle.
Posted by Megan (Member # 5290) on :
quote:There are plenty of men like that out there, but it's a pretty stupid way to behave given the potential consequences.
Oh, I don't disagree with this in the slightest. Stupid, however, is sadly far more common than not stupid.
Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
quote: I need my torpedos ready to deploy at a moments' notice.
Need? Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
I mentioned this to the guy I'm seeing, and he says he wouldn't be into it.
He said he thinks it would be less effective because stopping one egg a month should be easier than stopping a bunch of sperm.
I asked him what he would do if it were just as effective as the Pill.
He says, "I feel like wearing a condom is sufficient."
I said that two forms of birth control are preferable. And he said that he doesn't like the idea of using a drug.
...so he would rather _I_ use a drug that has, in the past, had severe side effects for me?
So anyway, there's another guy's opinion. My opinion of men has fallen.
I think I'll go fight about this now.
-pH
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
Stop seeing him. Seriously. Anyone who wouldn't even consider using this, especially if you have known problems with the pill, I wouldn't want to talk to.
Or just don't have sex with him Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
Oh, don't worry. This really isn't going anywhere, and I'm probably moving out of this city in December, anyway.
I seriously don't understand why so many men seem to have issues with taking responsibility for birth control.
I know guys who think condoms are stupid, and that it's up to the girl to make sure she doesn't get pregnant. STDs aside, that's just absolutely moronic.
-pH
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
When they finally develop a way for men to carry the baby during pregnancy, men will be controlling, misogynist, and paranoid if they don't want to.
I think this patch is just going to take the guys some time to get used to.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
I seriously don't understand why so many men seem to have issues with taking responsibility for birth control.
Selfishness. Self-centeredness. A feeling of entitlement. Lack of responsibility. Pigheadedness.
None of which are useful traits in a boyfriend.
It should be noted that I have zero tolerance for the "but it'll make me less of a man" attitude this usually brings up, even when it isn't stated outright. If that really worries you I don't think you were much of a man to begin with...
[ October 14, 2005, 01:53 PM: Message edited by: Chris Bridges ]
Posted by Olivet (Member # 1104) on :
Oh, Chris! It does all our hearts good to hear you say that. Well done!
(That is, essentially, what Ron said on the matter. I've had serious complications with hormone therapies, and we are on our way to vasectomyland as soon as we stop waffling about whether or not we want one more kid...)
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Wow! I bet KPC wouldn't be opposed to using this if it was effective and safe. I can't take hormonal BC, and we've had barrier and other methods fail twice now. Something safe and more effective that allows for more spontaneity would be welcome in our home!
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
I've had serious complications with hormone therapies, and we are on our way to vasectomyland as soon as we stop waffling about whether or not we want one more kid...
Teres developed gestational diabetes with both kids, and Tony pressing on her spine for 6 hours (lousy sense of direction) gave her permanent back problems. The pill gave her headaches and regular stomach cramps. Our options were a) stick with the pill anyway, b) go with condoms and foam and whatever else we can strap on, c) stop having sex, or d) get me snipped. Seemed a pretty obvious choice.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
It never came up with my hubby, because my many problems always dictated me being on some sort of hormone therapy anyway, and my hysterectomy was a foregone conclusion from an early age, we always knew as soon as we were done having kids I'd need to have one.
But I can't imagine him being reluctant to use something like this. I mean, especially if the wife has problems with hormone therapy, a husband who refused would be one self-centered jerk, IMO.
Posted by Omega M. (Member # 7924) on :
At first glance it's hard to see why any women take the pill. It seems to have a huge number of potential side effects (including heart attack). I've also heard, although this may just be Bible-thumping propaganda, that when they were testing the pill (on poor Peurto Rican women, no less) a few of the subjects died and they just decreased a few of the ingredients without ever confirming that they had eliminated the death risk. And have you seen the ads for this new pill that makes you have only four periods a year? Is it me or is that company putting itself at a big risk for a lawsuit in 20 years? Then there's always the unexplained increase in breast cancer among younger and younger women---I know everyone says this is a right-wing canard, but it's something to think about...
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I've always been taught/told/informed that it's the man's job to be in charge of contraceptives, well, non pharmecutical contraceptives (condoms). Other than birth control pills, it's all up to the man.
So far as a male patch thing, so long as it was assured that the troops would be ready to wake from their slumber, I wouldn't have a problem with it.
Guys, don't be a fool, wrap your tool.
Posted by Ophelia (Member # 653) on :
quote: At first glance it's hard to see why any women take the pill.
I love being on the pill. It makes my period much, much lighter and shorter (an average of 4 days instead of 7). It makes my period predictable, always occuring on a Monday or Tuesday and ending around Friday. It's not going to come 5 days early and surprise, nor will it come 5 days late and cause me needless worry. It's allowing me to plan my wedding/honeymoon and know that as long as I keep taking the pills, I won't be interrupted by blood and cramps (er, at least not from feminine problems). And while I still get PMS, it's much, much less severe than it was before BC.
If I decided to never ever have sex again, I would still stay on the pill. If Ben were on a male contraceptive, I would stay on the pill. If my insurance stopped covering it, I would pay out of pocket and stay on the pill.
Basically, unless I develop health problems and my doctor refuses to prescribe my BC, I'm staying on it until any chance of me having a period is gone (either through menopause or a hysterectomy). Because it makes life so, so, so much more convenient.
Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
quote:Other than birth control pills, it's all up to the man.
You do know that there are other forms of contraceptive, right? Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Yeah, I don't think a man can use an IUD or a diaphragm. Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
Several notes:
1) If the patch proved to be as effective as the Pill, I would have no problem using it. Those men who fear it will make them less of a man are less of a man.
2) If I were a woman I would be very worried, and demand proof that any man I slept with that said they were using this, was actually using this. This discussion has come nowhere close to hitting how low men will be when sex is to be had. "Yeah honey, I'm on the patch. Ooops, I've got to leave town for a year or too. Good luck."
3) My wife is on the medication that can reduce her periods to up to 4 times a year. She has to get it in shot form so far. When she misses her shots he periods are incredibly unpredictable so it does her a world of good.
4) The reason the pill was so much of a success and a turning point in womens emmancipation is that it freed women from having to rely on men to use contraceptive. While men and women could enjoy sex, it was the woman who was often straddled with the result when the contraceptive the men aquired was imaginary. The pill allowed women to take control of their own reproductivity. I don't see many of them surrendering that control too quickly.
5) Abstinence is not the only 100% guaranteed way to stop pregnancy.
There is always homosexuality.
While its not a length I'd be willing to go, homosexuality is 100% safe when it comes to avoiding getting pregnant.
Though not when it comes to spreading disease.
But then, neither is this patch.
So yeah, wrap that rascal.
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
Well put
And I have to mention how amused I am at the amount and variety of colorful euphemisms. They're fun.
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
I certainly wouldn't mind wearing one and taking that burden off my wife. It would actually be a very nice method of birth control for us, as long as it was extremely reliable.
Is the patch something your doctor would have to prescribe? And could it be just your family doc, or would you have to go to some specialized doctor? Your wife's OB/GYN, perhaps?
Posted by odouls268 (Member # 2145) on :
quote: Need?
Yes! NEED! By God!! Posted by Valentine014 (Member # 5981) on :
I just wanted to brag about the fact my boyfriend was the first guy on the thread to offer to share the responsibility of birth control with me.
Posted by Enigmatic (Member # 7785) on :
Well, if one of us other guys had offered to share the responsibility of birth control with you, your boyfriend might have gotten upset.
--Enigmatic
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Hey B, check your email.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Ophelia--damn straight.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
My only concern is over how effective it would be compared to other forms of BC. It is pretty imperative that Cor not get pregnant, so whatever we do has to be close to fail-safe. (And yes, we use redundant forms of BC now.)
I don't know if I could feel safe not using a latex prophylactic, because the physics of how one of those works is something I can understand: Nothing gets through, nobody gets pregnant. Pills and patches and drugs and gels I feel a lot less secure in. But I could see myself using this and a latex prophylactic and not the other form of BC we currently use (I'm only going to share details about myself).
::wonders how long this thread will be considered Hatrack acceptable::
(My awkward wording, in case you're wondering, is due to a desire to keep my own post appropriate. I apologize if I fail in this.)
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
*scandalized anyway*
Yeah, that's pretty much how I feel. As long as it is first proven to work really well, I will consider it a viable option. If my wife would rather that I be the primary provider of BC, I'm fine with that, as long as the results are the same. Posted by Lalo (Member # 3772) on :
Lord, yes. Birth control for men's been a long time coming -- I firmly support putting this in the water supply.
I AM curious, though, what hormonal effects might this have?
Posted by Lalo (Member # 3772) on :
And werd to Lindsay. The Pill doesn't make just the woman's life easier...
Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
Eddie, it seems as though it might not have *any* hormonal effect because it won't really be a hormone. While female chemical BC tends to revolve around fooling the body into thinking it's pregnant, this one appears to be about finding a substance that will only disable the sperms' ability to penetrate the egg.
They will still should be great swimmers in powerful numbers, which should be nice for the male ego. Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
I'm still curious--what kind of doctor might prescribe the "male patch"?
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
I dunno, what kind?
::waits for punchline::
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
Two drums and a cymbal fell into a hole.
Ba-dum ching!
Since I can't enter any conversations tonight, goodnight.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
I'm sorry. Was I rude? I was just playing. :-\
Posted by Shigosei (Member # 3831) on :
I'm all for male contraceptive drugs. I figure that multiple birth control methods is good, and if both partners are on the drugs and are known to be STD free, that means a barrier method may not be necessary.
I could see a woman wanting to do birth control for herself, since she's the one who probably has the most to lose if she gets preganant. It makes a lot of sense to me that both the man and the woman can do things to limit their own fertility. Still, if a woman doesn't trust a guy to do birth control properly, why is she sleeping with him?
Oh, and I'm with Ophelia. The Pill is awesome. I'm not even taking it for birth control reasons, so I can definitely see why a woman would want to use that form of birth control. So long as she doesn't have a bad reaction, of course.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Yeah. I'm in bad reaction camp myself. Nasty vile reaction camp. Depo was the worst, and I didn't take it for BC reasons. Never again for any of them for me.
Posted by imogen (Member # 5485) on :
I love the pill.
(There is some evidence coming out now that it might actually lower some cancer risks, if I recall correctly)
But that's not why I love the pill.
Posted by Shigosei (Member # 3831) on :
Yeah, there's some evidence of it raising risks of certain cancers and lowering risks for others. I haven't seen much definitive research on what it does, and so far as I know, the rate of cancer and heart disease hasn't increased dramatically since the pill was introduced.
And the benefits are pretty clear...
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
They will still should be great swimmers in powerful numbers, which should be nice for the male ego.
Still confused by guys who take this sort of thing seriously. If I have to have a gauge to judge my masculinity in the bedroom, shouldn't it be the level of enjoyment my partner experiences? In that regard it's immaterial whether or not I produce anything at all. Of course, this atttitude works best with a partner who feels the same way in reverse
Don't understand guys who won't use condoms, don't understand guys who won't touch any pastel-colored packages in the "feminine care" aisle, don't understand guys who pride themselves on their wigglers. Don't understand most guys, come to that.
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Most of them aren't pastel colored anymore. Bright pinks, teals, and blues are much more commen, I think.
Posted by Megan (Member # 5290) on :
I'm one of the few I've ever met for whom the pill actually made things worse, period wise. I was regular, like clockwork; I knew the exact day, and usually time of day. Now, though, it's any time within a week time frame (sometimes early, sometimes late, who knows?). The only good thing is no more cramps, but those weren't that bad to begin with.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
Chris, I am delighted to live in a world that can support (at least in a loose sense ) you and Dana. If it couldn't, I'd start looking for another.
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
Um . . .?
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
Hmm...
So now I know where all those pastel packages are coming from.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
No! I mean, you are Chris are two of my role models of sane, sensible, thoughtful living.
Separately.
Living separately.
And totally not in the same bed, or anything.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
(I'm not going to say anything else, right now. Still working my way through my big toe.)
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
And I like Bob, too. He's the model of insane, sensible, thoughtful living.
That whole pun thing, you know.
Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
Chris, I don't understand it either. It came up about a year ago on a thread about vasectomies and the guys who said they really, really didn't like the idea *because* of the fact that it stops the sperm altogether.
Porter is squicked by vasectomy because it involves sharp objects coming at his privates. Posted by Ophelia (Member # 653) on :
Heh, I think that's where I got that sort of idea, too.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
Obviously I wouldn't advise anyone to do it unless they were absolutely certain that was the best way. But hey, if he was a real man he knows his privates scoff at mere cutting implements...
CT - there are a lot of things I don't understand about how many women think, either, I just don't feel as qualified to speak on that
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