Male Birth Control Shots Still Not Safe

A new study shows that male birth control shots can be effective, but researchers still have to work on the side effects.  They shot hormones to lower the level of sperm.  Even though they managed to prevent pregnancy, the men involved in the study had depression. This is why we will have to wait until the male birth control shots will be safe to use.

We already know that women have a lot of birth control options.  However,  the only option men have is the condom. Of course, they can also withdraw during the sexual activity, but this is not safe because there are times when men were not able to control and the pregnancy was not prevented.  There were some studies in the past that proved that hormonal birth control in men is possible, but no official product was released on the market.

Researchers used data from 320 healthy men, with ages between 18 and 45.  All of them were in long-term relationships with women and they had no problem that could prevent the women getting pregnant. Researchers gave them male birth control shots every eight weeks or a year. The shots had some hormones that were supposed to slow the sperm production.

During the first 26 weeks, couples had to use another option to prevent pregnancy, which did not include hormones. This happened while the men were getting the shots. In 96 percent of the participants, the sperm levels were lower than when the study started.

After this period, the couples had to use the male birth control shots to prevent pregnancy. Among the 266 men involved in the study, only 4 had a partner who became pregnant.

Even though the study proved to be effective, there were men who did have their sperm levels return to normal. Moreover, there were also some side effects. Some of the participants were depressed and had pains. However, researchers promised to do their best to improve the shots. Most of the participants said they will  use the shots if they found them on the market.

We are expecting more research regarding this matter. One of the issues of the study could be the time between shots. If the researchers change the time, it is possible that the side effects to disappear. What do you think?  Will men want to try the birth control shots?

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