Male Contraception
MALE CONTRACEPTION Access to effective contraception is a prerequisite of reproductive health. If the goal of ensuring that every birth results from a planned pregnancy is to be achieved, a wide range of methods of regulating fertility must be available. Because women literally are left "holding the baby," family-planning organizations have traditionally concentrated on female methods.
New developments in the last 10 yr, including new formulations of the oral contraceptive pill, medicated intrauterine devices, and subdermal implants, have provided for women a wide range of contraceptive choice. In contrast, advances in male-directed methods have been confined to refinements in the type of condom and technique of vasectomy. It has been argued that research on new male-directed methods is unnecessary and that resources would be better directed toward making existing methods more widely available. Yet despite their limitations, up to 30% of couples worldwide use a male method of contraception. Moreover, recent research has demonstrated that, in many societies, men are prepared to share the responsibility of contraception more equally with their partners.
An individual’s requirements for contraception differ depending on their changing social circumstances. It is likely that the method of contraception that meets the requirements of an adolescent in an early exploratory relationship will differ radically from that which is suitable for a stable couple that has completed its family. Thus, the development of new, effective methods of male contraception has been identified as a high priority by international organizations including the World Health Organization. Stereotypes about men are the most common source of skepticism about the feasibility of new male contraceptives. Many people believe that men are too irresponsible or untrustworthy to participate in family planning. Others believe that men won’t use a method of contraception that requires
New developments in the last 10 yr, including new formulations of the oral contraceptive pill, medicated intrauterine devices, and subdermal implants, have provided for women a wide range of contraceptive choice. In contrast, advances in male-directed methods have been confined to refinements in the type of condom and technique of vasectomy. It has been argued that research on new male-directed methods is unnecessary and that resources would be better directed toward making existing methods more widely available. Yet despite their limitations, up to 30% of couples worldwide use a male method of contraception. Moreover, recent research has demonstrated that, in many societies, men are prepared to share the responsibility of contraception more equally with their partners.
An individual’s requirements for contraception differ depending on their changing social circumstances. It is likely that the method of contraception that meets the requirements of an adolescent in an early exploratory relationship will differ radically from that which is suitable for a stable couple that has completed its family. Thus, the development of new, effective methods of male contraception has been identified as a high priority by international organizations including the World Health Organization. Stereotypes about men are the most common source of skepticism about the feasibility of new male contraceptives. Many people believe that men are too irresponsible or untrustworthy to participate in family planning. Others believe that men won’t use a method of contraception that requires