NIH Gives U of Kansas...$7.9M Grant to Develop...Male Contraceptive Pill

NIH Gives U of Kansas 5-Year, $7.9M Grant to Develop Nonhormonal Male Contraceptive Pill

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=26513

"NIH on Monday announced it will give the... University of Kansas a five-year, $7.9 million grant to develop a nonhormonal male contraceptive pill. KU researchers in Lawrence and Kansas City have identified a compound called Gamendazole, which temporarily causes infertility in male rats by stopping sperm production. The scientists have filed for a patent on the compound and aim to begin clinical trials in the next five years, the Lawrence Journal-World reports. The grant also will allow the researchers to study about 500,000 additional compounds to find chemicals that affect sperm-specific enzymes by disrupting sperm development or mobility. Once promising compounds have been identified, researchers will test them on mice or rats to determine their safety, effectiveness and whether the animals regain their fertility after discontinuing administration of the substances. The goal is to develop a safe, 100% effective pill that men could take weekly or monthly, according to the Kansas City Star. Although some people have questioned the practicality of a male contraceptive pill, including whether men would use it and whether women would trust men to use it, lead researcher Gunda Georg said, "I think some couples would like to have that option. There's been a shift in attitude. Some men would like to share more in that responsibility."

..."


About time?

Go Jayhawks!

I'm a woman and have been on hormonal contraceptives since I was 18 years old. First, it was The Pill for several years, then DepoProvera for the last 6 or 7.

I'm married, and both my husband and I are pretty certain we want to remain child free for the rest of our lives, but not sure enough for us to get clipped and stiched--that's why i'm on BC.

I would LOVE to give my body a break from the estrogens and progesterones it's been given for the last 12 years. LOVE LOVE LOVE.

I understand that alot of people (single, young, not-so-monogamous) would be warry about whether a guy REALLY took his pill, but there's quite a few young women out there (single, young, not-so-monogamous) that aren't strict about taking THEIR pills either--I was one of them, and that's why I switched to Depo---I would forget to take a pill, then forget that I forgot, remember 4 days later and ....ooops...that's too long of a stretch to just pick up where you left off.

I'm married and in a terminally monogamous relationship. I don't worry about my husband trying to sabatoge me or our future by saying 'yeah, I took the pill' or 'yeah, I got the shot" when he didn't. And MILLIONS of other men and women are in our situation---whether married, or just long-term committed couples.

I think this is great, and it should have been something developed A LONG FUCKING TIME AGO.

I just hope it comes around while I'm still....fertile...so that we can at least use it for a while just to be able to tell our kids that we did.

would still be wise to use a form of prophylaxis that provides a barrier to disease as well.

Salud.

But even when I was single and not so monogamous, I would use the pill AND a barrier---I'm sad to say, but at 19, my major concern wasn't so much getting AIDS, but getting pregnant.

They really need a male non-barrier contraceptive that has the same effacacy as the pill (if not better). This is HELPING women control their bodies and their reproduction as well. Again, millions of people are in monogamous relationships, have had all the tests, and just find barrier contraception to be a pain in the arse---I've been married for 5 years, together for 8, and the LAST thing I want to do is use a condom. There's no reason for it (Barring some gap in my depo-shots), and I hate that the only option to people like my husband and I is for *ME* to use some form of hormonal contraception (I will not use anything with a effecacy rate below 98%) OR barrier contraception...mmmm...nothing says "Happy anniversary" like a vagina full of latex. :eyes:

Young people AND us old, 30-something married folk NEED MORE CONTRACEPTIVE OPTIONS period. Barrier and chemical. Pregnancy and STD.

Again, I hope this happens in my lifetime. I don't know what I'll do if I hit 35, still fertile, and no male pill---I don't really want a hysterectomy, don't want my tubes tied, and can't see living out the rest of my fertility using condoms...blech...but the risk of taking OC's past 35 really increases risk of cancers...something else I don't want to deal with.

Let the boys take some responsibility. I know I could trust my husband to...

You put it on once and keep it there, and just wash it when it gets dirty.

Have you ever seen (or used) one of those things?

Granted, I applaud ANY advancements made with regards to contraception and disease prevention.

HOWEVER-----right after it came out, I got a free sample of the Female Condom.

It's like a hefty trash bag with 2 plastic rings on the outside. Very bulky and it makes crinkle sounds (like you're wadding up a grocery bag) when you're...you know..."doing it" (tee hee hee)

One of the rings fits against the cervix, the bag lines the vaginal canal, and the other ring kind of encompasses the outer vulva/vaginal opening.

Here:



It's a great thing, and I heard that it was specifically marketed to women in African and Asian countries as a way to be safe if their male partner refused to wear a condom.

That being said, it was an AWFUL thing to use. Again, felt like I had a grocery bag up my hoo-hoo. It also takes a bit of practice to remove it without spilling any ejaculate (we forgot I had it in and I stood up after coitus and made an interesting spot on the floor, to say the least). :blush:

I recently got an IUD, but that's not an option for everyone. A pill for guys would be a nice option to add to the range of possibilities.

but was advised against it by my practitoner because I've not ever had any children. She told me that I have a higher incidence of the IUD falling out or becoming 'misplaced' in my uterus and not even knowing it, thinking I'm covered for contraception, only to find out at a most inopportune time that I'm pregnant.

I actually LOOOOOVE Depo-Provera. It's so simple and the side effects are (for me, at least) virtually none. The only side effect I have from it is amenorrhea--no periods---which is one of the things that keeps me on Depo.

I originally got on the pill when I was younger not JUST for contraception purposes, but also to lighten my menstrual periods. I have very long, very heavy periods and the pill did wonders for me. Then I changed brands and was back to bleeding like a stuck pig for 9 days a month.

With depo, I get a little spotting now and then, usually the week or 2 before my shot is due.

Another thing that I heard about the IUD is that it can cause heavier or irregular menstruation. I think I'd die if my periods were any heavier than they are normally.

This would be a GREAT thing for women who are sensitive to hormonal changes in their body. I had a friend who got so absolutely ill when she was on the pill because she just could not handle the hormone loads in her body--even the Mini-Pill and lighter dose pills caused her to become violently ill.

She tried the patch and took it off within 2 days of getting it.

So hormonal BC is an absolute no-no for her. She tried the IUD but it just didn't suit her, and so she's forced to having to use Condoms and a diaphragm when she and her husband have sex. I should say she and her 'ex' husband because they're now divorced. While the use of barrier contraception wasn't the only issue in their marriage, it was a MAJOR issue with regards to intamacy and 'spur of the moment' spousal sex. He would (rightfully or not) feel resentment towards HER because SHE wasn't able to take the Pill, so HE had to use a condom, which decreased his sensuality, decreased HER sensuality. She would (rightfully or not) feel resentment towards HIM for blaming HER for a biological problem she had no control over, etc etc etc.

I can't believe we're in the year 2005 and STILL no non-barrier method of birth control for men.

I would think that men would WANT this---why rely on a woman who may or may not be truthful about being on The Pill? Why find yourself in a situation 8 months down the road where you're notified "By the way, I got pregnant, you're the dad, it's due in a month, and you're going to pay"---Just take the pill (or shot) yourself and then you have NO excuse for an 'unplanned' pregnancy that occured when you "thought" or "she said" she was on the pill.

Plus, I hate condoms. I think that's one of the major reasons I got married---so that I wouldn't have to use condoms anymore :)

a newer version of the IUD called Mirena. It's a bit smaller than the traditional copper T and releases a progestin, so it tends to cause light periods rather than heavier ones. It would still have some hormones, but not so many as what you're on now. And there's a new sterilization option I considered briefly where they inject wire coils into the fallopian tubes via the uterus (non-surgical) and wait a few months for scar tissue to form. Supposed to be as effective as getting your tubes tied but you don't have abdominal surgery and you don't have to worry about inadvertently compromising blood flow to the uterus and triggering premature menopause. I considered doing that, but I thought I'd try an IUD first and I don't mind checking the strings now and then to make sure the darn thing's still there!

And yes, it's high time they had a pill for men.

I would think that men would WANT this---why rely on a woman who may or may not be truthful about being on The Pill? Why find yourself in a situation 8 months down the road where you're notified "By the way, I got pregnant, you're the dad, it's due in a month, and you're going to pay"---Just take the pill (or shot) yourself and then you have NO excuse for an 'unplanned' pregnancy that occured when you "thought" or "she said" she was on the pill.

Men aren't the only ones who might not be entirely honest about their status, and people do make mistakes, so double or triple redundancy is not an unreasonable idea when it comes to something this important. Not to mention the fact that many guys wouldn't be comfortable with the possibility that they had a child they didn't know about. Random, unplanned pregnancy isn't just a nightmare for women.

I related a story further below about a guy I dated who was found out he was the father of a child that was completely unplanned. As I stated in that post, HE had gone on her word that she was on the pill, and I don't think he should have gone on that alone (not to mention that he could have possibly gotten an STD instead of or in addition to that child) and he should have taken steps to protect himself regardless of what she said regarding her contraception choices.

Unplanned pregnancies are devestating to ALL parties involved--which is exactly why a male-initiated contraceptive besides the condom should be available. I'm just sitting here astounded that, in the year 2005, it's not been in the works before now.

Kansas.

:cry:

:shrug:

:)

My husband said he'd be more than happy to take a Male Pill, with the caveat that it has to be safe AND reversable AND have no long-term side effects (loss of potency, ED, etc).

I completely agree with him. I am lucky to be old enough to have been able to taken a much more safer version of "The Pill" than what was first available back in the 60's, with such high hormone levels that were just devestating to women.

Sadly, by the time this gets developed AND tested AND tried AND long-term studies are done, my ovaries will be little raisins and my fertile days will be long long gone. But, I always have hope for future generations and I think this is a wonderful asset to include in the relatively small number of non-barrier, high effacacy rate contraceptions available to people today

This is going to take time, but at least the trip has begun.

I mean, isn't that God's will?

If they were, we wouldn't have to deal with them for much longer.

Where do they hope to find the scientists to work on this? Any biologist or medical researcher with a brain is going to be getting the hell out of that state soon, since the state apparently wishes to legislate that the foundation of modern biological theory is bunk.

And will the good Christian taxpayers of Kansas support this work, which undermines a pillar of their abstinent, Gawd-fearing lifestyle?

Cuz after all, we know people in Kansas NEVER have sex before they are married and never without the intent to procreate, and anyway this is going to kill the little spermatozoa babies before they have a chance to find Jesus.

rcm

Look, we all know the shenanigans that have gone on in Kansas, but that really doesn't have anything to do with this matter.

You don't need to offer sweeping generalizations that offend good, sane, science supporting, pro-privacy DU members like myself. The Western part of Kansas, where the University of Kansas is located, is not only very blue, but fighting diligently against these few freaks on the school board.

Neo-cons run this country and they are very much the minority. Same thing here in regards to that school board. Believe me....they now have our attention and I don't anticipate they will be on the board long.

I was being hyperbolic . . . . I know lots of good Kansans. No offense intended.

rcm

white supremacist birth rate? It would surprise me though if men used it.

My husband being one of them.

I dated a guy when I was younger who made me show him every day that I was taking my pill---he had gone out with another gal a few years earlier, was ASSURED she took the pill every day and had been for years, then ended up pregnant with his child. Come to find out, she'd never BEEN on the pill and was eager to have a child. So, at 17, he was a father by deception (although, I have to say, he had as much say in wearing a condom or NOT having sex, and shouldn't have relied on what someone else told him.)

I've BEGGED my husband to please please please get male BC if and when it comes available. He assures me that he will so that my body can take a break from hormonal contraceptives.

I still would encourage ALL people, regardless of age or gender, to always make sure that THEY are protected--don't take someone else's word for it. He says he's on the pill--super. Make sure YOU are on it too. She says she's getting depo shots---great! Make sure YOU are taking contraceptive measures as well. EVERYONE needs to protect themselves equally and not hope that the other person is.

I think alot of married couples and long-term monogamous, older (meaning, not 16 year old) couples would take the pill. Most of the men I know (granted, they're all progressive-minded men) would be more than happy to hold the sole responsibility of contraception in their relationship, and feel saddened that the only thing THEY can put on the table is a condom, which isn't necessarily the contraception of choice for people who are married and enjoy skin-on-skin intimacy

Actually, it's a vaccine against HPV, which is the major cause of cervical cancer.

It's only effective before a girl becomes sexually active.

They're afraid the vaccine will encourage their innocent little angels to have sex.

So, they'd rather risk their kids DYING than having SEX?

And what about if the kid is raped and gets HPV?

Well, I guess they should keep their kids from getting tetanus shots, because otherwise it will encourage them to cut themselves with rusty nails.

I know more than one man was tricked into a marriage or pregnancy because of someone faking using BC. The laws make it mandatory to support children but up until now really only women have the choice (beyond condoms and the old "pulling out" of course.) This would really equal the playing field for everyone. I say bravo!

Every sperm is sacred.
Every sperm is great.
If a sperm is wasted,
God gets quite irate.

CHILDREN:
Every sperm is sacred.
Every sperm is great.
If a sperm is wasted,
God gets quite irate.


GIRL:
Let the heathen spill theirs
On the dusty ground.
God shall make them pay for
Each sperm that can't be found.

CHILDREN:
Every sperm is wanted.
Every sperm is good.
Every sperm is needed
In your neighbourhood.
http://www.lyricsdepot.com/monty-python/every-sperm-is-sacred.html