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Trial For The Male Pill Shows No Side-effects 261

Posted by Hemos from the what-about-a-male-morning-after dept.
Blahbooboo3 writes "Men concerned about contraception may soon be able to use the male equivalent of the Pill, without the potential side-effects of a drug based on altering the balance of sex hormones. The drug, called Adjudin, works by disrupting the interaction that takes place in the testicles between immature sperm cells and the nurse cells responsible for nurturing sperm to maturity. The germ cells need to adhere to the nurse cells for sperm to properly develop, and the drug prevents this bond from forming. It looks like it will be a gel patch type of applicator."
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Trial For The Male Pill Shows No Side-effects More

Trial For The Male Pill Shows No Side-effects

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  • Totally pointless (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 30, 2006 @01:01PM (#16643569)
    This may well be the most irrelevant Slashdot story ever. No one who reads this site is in any position to use this pill. You can't get your hand pregnant.

    • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Yes, but it is possible to get your sister pregnant.
    • Don't let my pasty white skin and ebbing physic fool you. Chicks dig scrawny pale guys, if you know where to look.

      -Rick

      • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

        by lewp ( 95638 )
        A mortuary?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Shads ( 4567 )
      Bah. A lot of geeks like myself have very good sex lives, it's just mastering the art of finding the geek/gamer girl to hang out with, they appreciate your idiosyncrasies.

      That being said, I'd much rather have a pill to take that a gel patch. Just my .02 though.

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Shads ( 4567 )
        ...and damn not being able to edit your posts.

        I think the only geeks who really have much trouble getting laid are either those who are so absorbed in particular technologies they don't look or alternately those who don't bathe regularly. Geeks tend to make pretty good money, geeks tend to drive pretty nice cars, geeks tend to work smarter not harder and thus clean as they go (except the desk where they work which frequently resembles a trash heap.) Geeks are a hell of good catch for most women (this bein
  • ...one time, and it's permanent! YAY!

    unless some of these men would want to make kids someday... i have no clue why anyone would want to do that... *shrugs*

    • Re:Vascetomy is better (Score:5, Funny)

      by eln ( 21727 ) * on Monday October 30, 2006 @01:09PM (#16643709)
      Someday you're going to be looking at your overgrown lawn and wishing you didn't have to mow it. This is where kids come in.
      • A synthetic lawn is cheaper in the long run and doesn't need to be mowed. :)

        =Smidge=
      • Just get a condo... property management will mow it!
      • I already have 2 kids (both daughters), and don't want and can't afford more. Had the dirty deed done 7 years ago. The wife is much happier off the Pill, too...

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by EnderGT ( 916132 )
          Same story... 2 daughters, don't want more.... The chems in the pill can really F**k up a woman's head - life is SOOOOOO much better with her off the pill.

          Definitely the best choice you can make if you've had a few already and know you don't want more. Doesn't hurt that bad either.

        • well, if the wife has a c-section, they can just tie the tubes while they're in there.
      • These [friendlyrobotics.com] are cheaper than children.
      • Indeed; This is where the kids [google.com] come in!

        WAY better than human children for keeping the lawn mowed. As an added bonus:
        No diaper changing
        No soccer practice
        No bed time
        No car or driving lessons
        No college tuition
        You can sell them or give them away at any time
        They can give you milk
        They're cute
        They don't smell NEARLY as bad
        • I call BS. My wife is a zookepper and works with several kinds of goats. Goats STINK!! Sometimes I smell her when she walks in the door even though I'm upstairs at the other end of the house!
      • Yeah, but then you'll just buy a lawnba mower robot and it'll be all good. With the new super-realistic love dolls and high-wattage white-noise machines, women are practically irrelevant; now that robots can do chores and computers can waste time and fail consistently, we can dispense with children! All we need now are some quality bots for our multiplayer games that are capable of drinking our beer and spilling chips on our floors, and we'll never need to interact socially ever again!
    • A vascetomy is reversable afaik.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Junta ( 36770 )
        Actually, I take it back, the chances are significant that reversal procedures don't succed.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by doti ( 966971 )
      i have no clue why anyone would want to do that...
      I have a steady job, my life is stable, nearing boredom.

      I need something to turn it into a complete mess, giving me worries, sleepless nights, and suffocating expenditures.

      • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

        by Anonymous Coward
        Vote republican?

        Aaaaaaaand I'm outta here.
    • does a vasectomy ... eh ... unload the gun, or do you just start shooting blanks.

      i.e., does the trouser snake still throw up, or does it turn into dry heaves

      (serious question)

      • does a vasectomy ... eh ... unload the gun, or do you just start shooting blanks.

        Last time I checked (early nineties, but I don't see why that should've changed since then) there was the idea that you're still ...uh... "primed for seven shot". After that you can carry a teaspoon of goo to the clinic to have them verify your infertility.

  • For mice only (Score:5, Informative)

    by KingArthur10 ( 679328 ) <[arthur.bogard] [at] [gmail.com]> on Monday October 30, 2006 @01:04PM (#16643627)
    So far, this study has been done on mice only and the dosage was applied only once. The BBC [bbc.co.uk] has a decent write-up about it. Hopefully this will be applicable to humans, but many believe the exact drug will not work on human males.
  • Didn't they say that when they did the first trials for the female contraceptive pill?

    Totally safe! No apparent bad things can happen!

    Except blood clots and cancer, 20 years later..

  • Call me hypocritical but... (Score:3, Funny)

    by SkunkPussy ( 85271 ) on Monday October 30, 2006 @01:09PM (#16643713) Journal
    ...there is no chance of me (as a man) ever using this!

    They say no side effects, but look at "safe" female contraception which may lead to increased chance of certain cancers (although decreased chance of others).

    Not that I'm going to stop my gf taking the pill though...
    • So it's ok for her to risk her health, but not you? What if she couldn't take the pill, would you try this option?
      • I agree its a moral dilemma. If I was a woman I would be as reluctant to take the female contraceptive pill as I am the male contraceptive pill. I think I'm just selfish.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by jfengel ( 409917 )
        Some women take contraceptive pills to make their periods more predictable, and sometimes easier, even in the absence of the chance of getting pregnant. (I've even known lesbians who take the pill for exactly those reasons.) Presumably they find it worth the risk of issues later in life.

        The male pill probably doesn't offer the same kind of additional benefits, so I can see some couples deciding that if it's going to be one or the other it should be her.

        But then, I'm paranoid, and I can see having both of u

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Creedo ( 548980 )
          So, use NFP. Ignore the religious bits, if you are so inclined. It works great.

          • So, use NFP. Ignore the religious bits, if you are so inclined. It works great.

            Dude, if he's paranoid enough to consider using condoms and male birth control when it comes out even if she's on the pill, then NFP alone isn't going to cover it.

            I've used NFP before, and it's a great way to (as a woman) get in touch with your body. But I would never use it as my only birth control in a situation where I absolutly did not want to get pregnant. There's a reason it's used only by people who believe children

      • His userid is "Skunkpussy." You were expecting a more enlightened attitude?
  • Great, we have a pill for men. The only problem is it's on a voluntary basis. Prescriptions based on intelligence and ability to support a child should determine candidacy for this pill.

  • Male pill (Score:4, Funny)

    by Robber Baron ( 112304 ) on Monday October 30, 2006 @01:11PM (#16643737) Homepage
    Male pill...the man puts it in his shoe and it makes him limp.
  • I always wonder about the long-term effects of these pills. How do they know that, in 10-15 years, the pills won't cause permanent infertility in a certain percentage of males? How about in 20-50 years, that they won't have long-term defects in offspring. It's not that the research isn't a useful thing, but I think I'll let a generation or two act as the guinea pigs for this before me.
    • Its the price of being an early adopter, just like purchasing a 1st gen Nintendo DS or a 1st gen MacBook... except with your body.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by TCQuad ( 537187 )
      How about in 20-50 years, that they won't have long-term defects in offspring

      Given the small volume and short lifespan of the sperm along with the dilution factor, it's doubtful that the male pill would affect any offspring created the natural way. It's actually more likely that the female pill would have harmful side-effects since the length of incubation time would augment any small effects lingering around after the contraception had stopped.
    • I think I'll let a generation or two act as the guinea pigs for this before me.

      Well, by that time, I assure you you won't need it.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by neoform ( 551705 )
      You planning on having kids when you're in your 50s and 60s?

      Most people who would be using this would be 20 to 40 years old.. if there are long term side effects that turn out to be infertility... wont it happen so late in your life that it wouldn't really matter anyway.. ?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by phorm ( 591458 )
        Possibly, but by that time I'm counting in science to give me improved longevity and virility. When is comes to living longer, well your the choice of die vs the side effects of well, die isn't quite as complicated :-)

  • I overheard a girl saying the pill didn't work... (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    ...it kept falling out. I really hope she figured it out and stayed out of the gene pool.

  • Paternity Insurance (Score:5, Insightful)

    by onkelonkel ( 560274 ) on Monday October 30, 2006 @01:57PM (#16644575)
    Think of taking this pill as Paternity Insurance. When some random girl you hooked up with one night (who swore she was on the pill) shows up 9 months later with a baby, a DNA test and a lawyer who will nail you for 18 years worth of child support you might be wishing you did.

    And enough with the whining about side effects. Anabolic steroids can make your hair fall out, your epiphysia (growth plates) fuse prematurely, cover you in zits and make your nads shrivel to the size of raisins.....but some of you will take em anyway.

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by crossmr ( 957846 )
      I always make them sign a paper if they tell me they're on the pill, it requires 2 witnesses and a video taped statement. I also have it notarized.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by yarbo ( 626329 )
      How many people here would take steroids to the point of having those side effects? (one cycle at low dosages can provide significant anabolic gains with few side effects)

      Having unprotected sex with strangers has enough side effects, male pill or not.
      • Yeah, you're probably right. The set of people who are the intersection of (massive steroid overuse) and (posts on slashdot) is probably not that big. It was meant tongue-in-cheek.
      • Most of those 'side-effects' are very pleasant. Slahdot people should try this - what will certainly be a - new experience.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Psmylie ( 169236 ) *
      That's a very good point. I've talked to my wife about this... according to her, many girls in high school, and young women just out of high school, actually WANT to get pregnant, for a variety of reasons. Which may include any combination of the following:

      1. To keep a man in a relationship with them
      2. To have something that will love them and that they can dote on
      3. To feel more like a grownup
      4. To get "free welfare" so they don't have to work (yes, I actually knew someone who got pregnant for this re

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Oswald ( 235719 )
        I'll just jump right in here and admit that I suspect my daughter of having purposely gotten pregnant, while telling her partner (now husband, the poor sap) that she was using the pill. Because I divorced her mother years ago, I had less influence on her as she grew up than I would have liked, but there's no guarantee I could have made any difference.

        Bearing children is instinctive in women. Like all instincts, it can drive people to do unscrupulous things. Young men, protect yourselves.

    • I know this "Male Pill" at best won't hit the market for a few years, and possibly never will.. but just in case some of you have been living under rocks for the past 20 years, and take the 'Insightful' parent seriously -- Don't have unprotected sex with strangers. Wear a condom. You might have heard of STDs, though the topic doesn't seem to come up on /. very often for some reason.

      If you know that both you and your lady have recently tested clean, then you can start worrying about birth control or Male
    • Technically the physis is where the bone grows, and the epiphysis is the area between the physis and the joint. The metaphysis is on the other side of the physis, heading towards the center of the bone, and the diaphysis is right in the center.

      Like so.
      Joint Epiphysis/Physis/Metaphysis/Diaphysis/Metaphysis/p hysis/epiphysis/joint.
  • OK, the article was just fine, but I think that the story suggestions off to the side need reconsideration. "The Humble Banger: the secret life of the British sausage" just seems like it's pushing it on this particular story, doesn't it?

  • More protection (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Tweekster ( 949766 ) on Monday October 30, 2006 @02:35PM (#16645381)
    Because if the girl you are with feels safe enough letting you say you are on pill so everything will be fine, probably isnt the type of girl you want to have sex with, without a condom on too.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Red Flayer ( 890720 )

      Because if the girl you are with feels safe enough letting you say you are on pill so everything will be fine, probably isnt the type of girl you want to have sex with, without a condom on too.

      You mean, we shouldn't want to have sex with a woman who trusts us? My wife was on contraceptives for four years while we were in grad school, until she developed complications from the side effects. I sure wish the male pill had been around back then, it was a very "awkward" two years until we didn't need the contr

      • "The pill isn't really meant for people who randomly hook up very occasionally with strangers; it's for people who need regular contraceptives because of frequent intercourse."

        Right....
  • This more than anything will make it hard for a male pill to ever work, men know it and women know it: Women's drive is to have babies when it is best, when they've found a partner to help them with the decades it takes to raise a child, etc. Men's drive is (mostly) to have as many as possible with as many women as possible. Single women know this, and are thus less likely to trust a man's word that he's on the pill.
    Of course... we are human, which means that evolutionary drive is not the only thing that
    • It'll be useful for single men who don't know for sure if their partners are on the pill (yes, they should use condoms, but people are dumb and backups are good anyways), and it will be useful for couples where the woman can't take the pill, or who want a backup to hers. More options when it comes to reproductive choice is good for everyone.
    • Men's drive is (mostly) to have as many as possible with as many women as possible.

      Men generally want to have sex with as many women as possible, but I don't know too many who want to have children with all of those women. The threat of child support payments do a pretty good job of mitigating that evolutionary drive for most guys.

  • The Battle of the Sexes (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Pfhorrest ( 545131 ) on Monday October 30, 2006 @05:06PM (#16648317) Homepage Journal
    I keep seeing comments here to the effect that "no woman will or should trust a man that he is on the pill".

    That's not the point of there being a male pill. The point is that men no longer have to trust women to be on the pill. If a guy is on the pill, he doesn't have to worry that the woman will say she is on the pill and then go off it, trapping him into supporting a child that he never wanted to gave. Imagine switching the gender roles there: say there was only male contraceptives, and the man says he's on the pill, but he wants a kid, so he stops taking his bill, and yay, now he's got a baby and a mom to take care of it, too! But what if the woman didn't want kids yet? "Well then... she should have been having sex, should she? It's her own fault for chasing cock," someone in this bizarro world might say.

    But most of us (besides the abstinence-only types) would think that was a ridiculous response. She engaged in an activity trusting her partner's word that certain consequences would not occur because of measures he had taken. When he fails to take those measures, it's not her fault for trusting him and engaging in the activity, it's his fault for failing to keep his promises. Switch the pronouns here so it's a woman reneging on her word instead and the situation is not different, but plenty of people will harp on a man and say "well you should have kept it in your pants".

    Even setting aside these issues of trust, the man being on the pill *and* the woman being on the pill is extra backup in case one of them should simply forget.

    The point of this isn't that the burden of birth control can now be shifted to the men and women don't have to take the pill. The point is that now men have a way of making sure that they don't get someone pregnant that they don't want pregnant. If a woman also wants to make sure that she doesn't get pregnant when she doesn't want to, she can take her pill too. In a couple where both people don't want kids and so both are on the pill, extra protection in case one fails or is simply forgotten. In a couple where the woman may want a kid and try to trick the man into giving her one (and subsequently supporting it), or perhaps where the woman is just forgetful (as everyone can be sometimes), the man now has a means of protecting himself, instead of just relying on the woman.
  • "Don't worry babay, I'm on the patch..." except he's not. Oh man there will be some serious assholes breeding kids out there.

  • The Real Advantage (Score:3, Insightful)

    by keytoe ( 91531 ) on Monday October 30, 2006 @06:45PM (#16650105) Homepage

    There is one aspect nobody is seeing with this - and it's the real advantage as far as I'm concerned.

    Women have terribly complex hormonal systems. The female pill works by fiddling with that normally balanced system. Fiddling with the hormonal balance of a woman is generally not a good thing. In addition to the physical side effects and possible health risks involved, there are a whole raft of psychological repercussions.

    On the other hand, male hormonal cycles are much less complex - and it doesn't even sound like this particular treatment is hormone based at all. For the sake of my relationship with my wife, I will happily be the one to submit to side effects rather than her taking the pill and possibly losing all desire for sex anyway.

    As someone else posted, this kind of thing is intended for long term relationships that require contraception - not necessarily for casual accident prevention. For that, I recommend my Mandatory Vasectomy At Birth program (you're free to reverse the procedure with your own money at any time).

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