
The Best Birth Control In The World Is For Men - d2vid
http://techcitement.com/culture/the-best-birth-control-in-the-world-is-for-men/
======
silentscope
I do see a market with this, but it's got a lot of problems you'd need to
navigate. Nothing a smart team couldn't figure out.

Most of the time, men trust women when they say they're on birth control.
Women get pregnant--a big deal. It's less likely (but not unheard of) that a
woman wants to get pregnant and then lies about birth control.

Men, on the other hand, would love to not use a condom. And men don't get
pregnant. So saying "yeah baby, I've had my shots" would probably be a lot
more common.

You'd need to market this to couples. Relationships with trust--not teenagers.
Or, as an "and-1", extra step prevention. Not as a first line of defense.
Then, the low cost would be more of an extra procedure that would get them
thinking more about being safer. You wouldn't hang your business model on it
but could actually do more business by offering it.

Lastly, being a man, the idea of someone putting forceps in my scrotum gives
me the willies. Just sayin'.

~~~
ianferrel
Isn't most non-condom birth control primarily intended for couples?

All the other types prevent pregnancy only. Condoms prevent disease as well.

~~~
streptomycin
In theory, maybe. In practice, no. Condoms are way out of fashion these days
among the young sexually active crowd.

~~~
MartinCron
That's a horrifying thought. I'm planning on doing "the talk" with my children
starting with a latex condom and working outwards.

"Sex is a beautiful thing shared between two people and a latex condom from a
reliable brand"...

~~~
eru
> ... and a latex condom from a reliable brand"...

Aren't they all required by law to be reliable?

~~~
MartinCron
I have no idea what the current regulatory climate for condom manufacturing
is.

I just know that I'm going to trust an established brand that's sold by the
box in the drug store over a no-name brand sold singly from a vending machine
in the bathroom of a bowling alley.

~~~
ianferrel
Don't knock the bowling alley machine. Condoms are like cameras. The best one
is the one you have with you and actually use. :)

------
schiffern
RISUG is indeed a great contraceptive, but when talking about its benefits for
HIV we should be _incredibly careful_.

RISUG isn't a cure-all. Transmission is still possible through microtears and
directly through the skin of the glans penis and the meatus. And RISUG does
nothing to prevent female->male transmission.

It's far too easy for "RISUG inactivates HIV in some components of semen" to
transmute into "It's ok baby, I got a shot that protects me from HIV!"

~~~
dr_
female to male transmission rates are really low in general.

~~~
tomp
It can't be that low...

How do men (heterosexuals) get infected then?

~~~
rdl
IV drug use is a major vector still.

Also, HIV transmission is more likely with other STDs. If you have open
syphlitic sores on your penis, you are more likely to contract HIV.

~~~
DanBC
Not forgetting that HIV increases the risk of getting those other STIs too.

There's been some speculation about why rates of HIV vary so widely across
Africa.

([http://www.irinnews.org/Report/91305/AFRICA-Risky-sex-
does-n...](http://www.irinnews.org/Report/91305/AFRICA-Risky-sex-does-not-
equal-HIV-risk-study))

Unsafe injection is the most efficient way to transmit the virus. It's scary
that so many injections in the developing world are unsafe. (UNICEF say "16
billion injections are administered each year, of which 90 percent are for
curative purposes; 50 percent of the total number of injections are unsafe.")

([http://www.irinnews.org/Report/85278/AFRICA-Poor-syringe-
hyg...](http://www.irinnews.org/Report/85278/AFRICA-Poor-syringe-hygiene-can-
be-fatal))

The amount of money needed to make a difference is probably (relatively)
small. But changing behaviour is hard.

(<http://www.path.org/our-work/safe-injection.php>)

------
d2vid
My girlfriend told me about this because she gets blood clots from hormonal
birth control and we wish this was an option today.

You should complete this survey like I did if you are interested:
<http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TSKSKGM>

~~~
dfc
What happens with the survey? Are you affiliated?

~~~
d2vid
No affiliation. I think they might contact you to get quotes for media about
how cool it would be and to notify you of their progress.

------
raju
Relevant HN discussion from 10 months ago -
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2602785>

------
pinchyfingers
omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg

Please let this be real.

Male birth control is one of the top things that I wish for everyday.

The really great thing is that this isn't just a first-world problem. Birth
control is obviously a huge issue in developing nations. So, while I can chase
the dream of male birth control for purely selfish reasons, to address my
privilege problems, I'm at the same time involved in a solution for a very
real problem in the world.

~~~
jason_tko
Did you read about what's involved in the actual procedure...?

If you read the steps necessary for the procedure and manage to maintain your
enthusiasm, you have my awed and confusion admiration.

~~~
schiffern
You know that's exactly the same thing that's involved in a vasectomy, right?

Except with a vasectomy you have the risk of chronic testicular pain.

~~~
m_for_monkey
You know that a vasectomy is at least two weeks of hell, right? Of course, in
the long run it may worth it.

Should You Get a Vasectomy?

<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3775066>

~~~
schiffern
All you have demonstrated is that one person had a bad experience with a
vasectomy and decided to write about it.

>The operating room is cold. The walls are busy with gruesome anatomical
diagrams, cross sections that make the male genitalia resemble charcuterie. I
lie back on the table, draw the paper sheet over my crotch, and seconds later
the doctor and an older, hen-shaped nurse enter the room.

I know that all reporting is biased, but the signal-to-noise ratio here is
abysmal.

------
natasham25
I've asked my guy friends whether they would get this procedure, and none of
them will. Guys expect women to mess with their bodies, but are not willing to
make the sacrifice themselves when it comes down to it, even though this is
more safe and harmless than pumping your body with hormones every day.

~~~
esrauch
I would rather pump my body full of hormones than have invasive surgery. You
wouldn't?

~~~
njharman
Fuck no. Hormones (and most other injections) has way more impact / risk /
effect than a tiny cut.

I cut myself several times a month, badly a few times year. (too lazy to wear
gloves when doing yard work, accidents etc). I _know_ what a cut is / does. No
idea what putting crap __in __my body will do.

~~~
esrauch
You cut yourself badly a few times a year? To each his own, but that sounds
fucking crazy to me. I manage to live my life both without artificial hormones
and without non-emergency invasive surgery and I haven't had as much a a paper
cut in as long as I can remember, probably over 10 years. Also I am not
pregnant or had any pregnancy scares.

~~~
njharman
I should have defined "badly" as many people probably think badly == stitches.
badly to means means enough to leave scar, needs cleaning & covering
(bandaide).

------
sanderjd
While this is generally fantastic, it seems like it would be a real bummer in
an apocalyptic modern-medicine-eliminated need-to-repopulate type of situation
(only _mostly_ kidding).

~~~
radu_floricica
If it really happens, you don't want to have children for the first few years
anyway. And since slowly wears off, it's pretty much the ideal scenario.

------
JohnnyFlash
It sounds great. My partner's family has a history of cancer so she doesn't
want to go on any kind chemical birth control. Nor is she keen on something
like the coil.

I have always wondered why there are so few contraceptive options for men. I
know a lot of guys who have had the kids they want and contraception is a
hassle. Something like this for couples which is inject once and forget for a
decade sounds ideal.

------
spydum
I would be concerned about forgetting to get it redone on year 11.. then
surprise!

From the sounds of it though, you'd still have the same side effects of a
traditional vasectomy: sperm granuloma. So one is _mostly_ permanent
(reconnection can happen, though super rare).. and one is only good for a few
years? Yeah.. I think I'd wait for the first 10 years to see the efficacy.

~~~
busted
I don't see how it sounds like you'd get a granuloma. It sounds like the sperm
are destroyed as they pass through the vas deferens but are still washed out
as they normally would be.

~~~
spydum
Ah, I did not read up apparently. I thought this was essentially gluing the
vas shut with a polymer that was reversible. According to the wikipedia entry,
they don't know the exact reason it works (what?!). Very interesting.. I had
overlooked that.

------
Nesterov
Oooo interesting. Now if they can slap an anti-virus on it, I'll be sold.

~~~
jurjenh
I believe from the article that it already neutralises HIV...

~~~
Nesterov
That's only male to female. Although upon further research, female to male
infection has a very small chance of occurrence. Nonetheless, still risky!

------
spurgu
This would be so awesome. The world is overpopulated, largely because of
recklessness. Most people don't plan on having 4 children, it just happens. I
would instantly have this procedure.

------
celerity
First of all, it's still in trials. Second of all, what should set off an
immediate alarm is the claim of "100% effectiveness" (and safety for that
matter, what if the doctor screws up and cuts your tubes?).

No, thanks.

~~~
celerity
In fact, if you check the Wikipedia article for this thing you will see a
large amount of controversy and problems that the article just ignores. That
alone is enough for me to not consider this seriously. It would indeed be nice
if this form of birth control were real, but as things stand it's just
vaporware for medicine.

It's really amazing to me how many people believe anything they want to
hear...

------
swah
I thought it was abstinence..

------
Lost_BiomedE
I am always surprised that every discussion of vasectomy, and even this
solution, hand-waves away the experience one undergoes in the process. Before
doing this yourself, at least know what your getting into:

<http://thebrowser.com/articles/final-cut>

For example, compare "one little injection" to "I don't scream, but I clamp my
jaw so tightly it clicks. I arch my back so much I end up looking behind me at
the door."

~~~
maaku
This is not a vasectomy. It's not even related to vasectomy. Please RTFA.

~~~
dangrossman
Isn't that a little much? The procedure sounds identical to a vasectomy except
the very last step -- instead of cutting the vas deferens you inject this
substance into them.

~~~
maaku
It's a shot vs. a surgical procedure. It's a world of difference.

~~~
dangrossman
As you like to say, RTFA. They are both surgical procedures and the procedures
are _identical_: make a hole or cut in the scrotum, pull out the vas deferens.
In a vasectomy, you now cut the vas deferens. In a RISUG, you now inject the
fluid into the vas deferens. Push the vas deferens back into the scrotum,
repeat on the other testicle, and cover the wound. Both procedures can be done
through a very small opening that requires no stitches, in a doctor's office,
in under half an hour.

------
carbocation
Let's not trivialize birth control with a title like this.

Good birth control comes from empowering both partners, and protecting those
who are unwilling partners.

For women, an IUD is a great option. For men, barrier methods have been the
only reliable, reversible methods until now. This is exciting, but let's not
forget about the whole scope and meaning of self-control over reproduction.

~~~
jdoliner
In what way does this trivialize birth control? The ideal of birth control as
a technology would allow anyone to cheaply turn their ability to reproduce on
or off with no side effects. It's no more concerned with unwilling partners
than willing, the technologies work the same for both. Judging from this
article the method in question is getting pretty darn close to that ideal.

~~~
dfc
Its not ideal if it is only verifiable by one sex.

~~~
nostromo
Like the pill?

~~~
dfc
The pill is certainly not the realization of the ideal form of birth control.
However in an non-perfect universe the form of birth control that is
verifiable by females (the sex that is impacted the most by pregnancy) is the
closes to ideal.

------
dfc
The best birth control in the world is one that allows women to have control
(and peace of mind) over the process/efficacy.

~~~
jff
They already have that. It's very nice that there's also something men can
have, both to supplement female birth control and to provide peace of mind for
the man. It's not a "one or the other" proposition.

~~~
dfc
Um, "best" neccesarily implies a "one or the other" proposition.

~~~
i_cannot_hack
No, "best" means that one is more effective than the other, it does in no way
mean that only one method should be used.

