On Salon.com I saw a discussion of why there isn't a male pill. Lots of theories for why there isn't one, some of them quite weak, but I'll toss them out.
1) Biology: Maybe the problem is just really hard to solve. Stopping trillions of sperm cells per day might just be harder than stopping one egg cell per month. Besides, they don't even have a cure for the common cold--so is it really surprising that they've only found a way to short-circuit the biological imperative in 50% of the population rather than 100%? Of course, I don't know enough about the relevant biological issues to say if that's the reason. Still, it seems plausible.
2) Fundamentalists hate it: This one I reject. Yeah, America has a lot of fundies, and many of them hate birth control of all sorts, but not all countries have the same problem. There are lots of countries that would be perfectly fine markets for a male pill...assuming no serious side effects, yadda yadda.
3) Teh patriarchy is irresponsible and doesn't want it: I see the tempting reasons to embrace this argument, and I agree that men might very well choose not to take it if it produced side effects, cost too much, etc. However, even if we postulate that men are selfish jerks, wouldn't those selfish jerks have an interest in a way to avoid child support without rubbers?
Yeah, yeah, many men are very irresponsible about birth control and all that, but a pill would seem (assuming minimal side effects, of course) to be something that guys would like--no rubbers. I can see why a certain percentage of men might not use it even if the side effects were minimal, and maybe the marketing departments at all of the Big Pharma companies ultimately decided that this percentage is a fundamental stumbling block. However, it would have to be a pretty big percentage. Besides, this theory is generally offered in terms of Teh Patriarchy deciding that they simply don't want it, not in terms of marketing analysts concluding that the target demographic is irresponsible.
If anything, I suspect that selfish rich jerks at the top of the hierarchy would love the idea of a pill that makes it possible for them to screw their secretaries without rubbers and avoid child support.
4) More practically, the condom is powerful competition: It's cheap, it protects against disease as well as pregnancy, it doesn't generally produce side effects (yes, there are people with allergies, but they aren't cutting too deep into the market share), and (perhaps most importantly) a woman can easily verify that her partner is using it, rather than trusting that he popped a pill that morning. This is a powerful competitor in the marketplace.
5) On a related note, the female pill is a powerful competitor in the market: There are couples who might switch methods if a male pill became available. Yes, there are plenty of couples who would like double protection, plenty of single men who would use it anyway, plenty of single women who wouldn't stop using their pill, but the point is that if you're doing the full calculation you have to include the possibility that you're competing against yourself in part of the market. I think it's a weaker factor than 4, but it's probably in their marketing calculation.
6) Maybe they did the market research and, for whatever reason, there are lots of guys who just wouldn't buy it so they stopped investing in the R&D. Maybe not quite a Teh Patriarchy conspiracy, but still a social factor that I'm just missing.
I consider 1 and 4 the most likely, followed by 5 and 6.
Your thoughts?
"the only thing worse than a freeper is a blue state freeper that doesn't realize they're a freeper." -dhex
hoisted by their own waterboard!
-dhex
Re: Why isn't there a male pill?
I'd say one is the most likely. Maybe it's currently too difficult to take hold of the means of production without destroying the factory.
Re: Why isn't there a male pill?
I agree with you on 1 & 4, but I'd up the ante on #6. To a sizeable fraction of males, the notion of making their sperm infertile, however temporarily, is dangerously close to being "neutered."
Vasectomies were popular for a while, but one rarely hears about the operation anymore, even though it is reversible in most cases.
All I ask is a good horse and a fair day.
Re: Why isn't there a male pill?
What woman in her right mind would be willing to accept, "Don't worry, I'm on the pill"?
All the world loves a clown.
Re: Why isn't there a male pill?
Yeah, there's incentive for the woman not to lie, but much less for the man.
I read an article about this a while back. There are actually companies working on it, but it's apparently hard to make one without side effects. A big part of it is the fact that women already have times where they don't produce ova; when they're pregnant. Making the pill for women was just a matter of finding a way to introduce the one hormone that is created during pregnancy to stop ovulation into the body in a safe, effective way. Men, on the other hand, don't have a premade brake to stop the production of semen, since their body is supposed to be making it constantly, not just at certain times. They've figured out which hormones to tweak to stop sperm production but so far it comes with a host of side-effects that are apparently most unpleasant (that was the context of the article; a frustrating roadblock in one of the more promising avenues). I for one would demand that it be thoroughly tested before I'd take it, both for safety and for efficacy. Even then I'd be wary; the original birth control pill had side effects that weren't totally known until decades after it had been abandoned for more reliable methods. Fooling around with hormones is not something to be done lightly.
Also, though, I suspect part of it is also the fact that men consume less health care than women do, leading to less research into certain areas.
I CAUTION YOU / IN DEFEATING ORCS WE MAY FIND THE ONLY VILLAIN LEFT TO FACE IS OUR OWN PREJUDICE--qwantz.com
Re: Why isn't there a male pill?
Oddly enough, I was just reading about this somewhere, not Salon. I think #1 is a big part of it. The female reproductive system is designed to cycle on and off, so it's relatively easy to fool it by sending it false signals. The male reproductive system isn't designed to be switched off, so it's not so signal-driven.
I have heard that #6 is a big factor, but I haven't seen anything other than some reporter's say-so.
Frankly, I think one of the reasons the "male pill" might not fly is because it requires women to trust men to take it! And if they do put one on the market, I won't be one of the first buyers, to be honest. Not because I don't think it sounds like a good thing, but because there's always a shakeout period - remember all the changes in the women's Pill over the years.
Re: Why isn't there a male pill?
Wow, JD and I are of a single mind on the subject. Spoooooooky.
I CAUTION YOU / IN DEFEATING ORCS WE MAY FIND THE ONLY VILLAIN LEFT TO FACE IS OUR OWN PREJUDICE--qwantz.com
Re: Why isn't there a male pill?
Weeeeeird. This sounds interesting: Reversible inhibition of sperm under guidance, which is a fancy way of saying "We inject something into the vas deferens that prevents live sperm from making it out, but we're not quite sure how it works, since the vas deferens isn't completely blocked."
Re: Why isn't there a male pill?
Yeah, when somebody wants to shoot something into my block-and-tackle, they'd goddamn well better know how it works. At least.
I CAUTION YOU / IN DEFEATING ORCS WE MAY FIND THE ONLY VILLAIN LEFT TO FACE IS OUR OWN PREJUDICE--qwantz.com
Re: Why isn't there a male pill?
My guess is #1, too. As has already been pointed out, tricking the female body into thinking it's in one particular phase of a regular natural cycle is much easier than tricking the male body into working in a way completely opposite of what nature intended.
Re: Why isn't there a male pill?
That's definitely a competitive advantage of the condom.
But for couples in long term relationships, the male pill would be a more viable option. And for men who (for good reasons or paranoid reasons or whatever) don't trust women saying "Don't worry, I'm on the pill", having their own pill would be desirable.
"the only thing worse than a freeper is a blue state freeper that doesn't realize they're a freeper." -dhex
hoisted by their own waterboard!
-dhex
Re: Why isn't there a male pill?
Uhh, I like to think (pretend?) I'm in my right mind and I've accepted that and similar assurances from women.
IMHO, the market for a male pill with side efects on a the same scale as "The Pill" has for the ladies would be friggin' huge. At least as large as the market for women's birth control pills.
♫And the man at the back
said everyone attack
and it turned into a ballroom blitz♫
Re: Why isn't there a male pill?
Jd: Yes, but you're not the one risking pregnancy when you take a woman's word that she's on the pill!
Regarding your other point, you may be right, although I think it all depends on the individual. I've known women who were on the pill and then went off it because they didn't like the side effects. I think there is still something of a cultural view that birth control is a woman's responsibility, too.
Re: Why isn't there a male pill?
I don't know if it is really relevant, but I remember there being quite a push for the "female condom" for a while. Remember those things? I don't know of one female who ever used one.
I do know of many women who take the pill for reasons beyond birth control. As in, I know women who were not sexually active but still took the pill due to various physical things that they were dealing with. I don't know of any positive benefits we might see for men if they took something similar. Well, maybe we would see more men ironing their jeans, but beyond that I just can't say.
Re: Why isn't there a male pill?
No, I'm was only risking 18 - 21 years child support and all of the resposibilities that come with fathering a child with a women I wasn't married to. Not every man looking to hook up with a lady at closing time is an irresponsible douche.
I really can't speak of societies view, but I've always considered birth control both partners responsibilty. And if the side effects bothered me too much, I'd go right back to those damned condoms. Since I've pretty much ruled out parenthood, I've been thinking seriously about a vasectomy. For obvious reasons, that's not something I'd have considered in my younger days.
♫And the man at the back
said everyone attack
and it turned into a ballroom blitz♫
Re: Why isn't there a male pill?
I think the answer is #1, but the biology is outside my area of expertise, which is narrower than a virgin's....never mind.
I do think the better question is why isn't the female condom more popular? Women can use it without relying on men and it can be placed without trying to simultaneously maintain an erection.
Re: Why isn't there a male pill?
Because it's awkward to put in, has a tendency to bunch up if used for anything other than plain vanilla missionary sex with little to no rough movements,(unless you use the ones with leg straps, and for the problems with that, see awkwardness of lubrication) and chafes if you attempt to leave it in and use it again when you're good to go again in 25 minutes, because it's really difficult to get more lube down in there while it's in without putting too much in and ruining the sensation (which was already not fantastic). Necessitating putting another one in. Which, seriously, is a pain in the ass. Plus, though perfect use makes for something like a 1 in 20 failure rate, typical use drops that to 1 in 5. A friend and I decided to experiment with them some years back. The bottom line was, if you want to use a condom, use a standard one. If you want a female barrier, have the woman get fitted for a diaphragm. Or better yet, *just use a condom or pills, you lazy moron who is willing to risk a 10-20% failure rate.*
I CAUTION YOU / IN DEFEATING ORCS WE MAY FIND THE ONLY VILLAIN LEFT TO FACE IS OUR OWN PREJUDICE--qwantz.com
Re: Why isn't there a male pill?
what shem said.
according to some folks, supposedly they're ok for knocking on heaven's backdoor... but color me skeptical.
"Yeah, but my character would be all swav and deboner." - Warren
Re: Why isn't there a male pill?
But how could she be certain of that? Plus, skipping out on child support is not that hard.
Re: Why isn't there a male pill?
As much as I could be sure she was on the pill. I'm saying that I trusted the folks I went to bed with. I then extrapolate that many women trust the men they sleep with.
Ladies, do you automatically assume we're irresponsible pricks? Would you sleep with someone you suspect of being a lying asshole? Are so many men lying irresponsible fuckheads that "prick" is the rational default position?
♫And the man at the back
said everyone attack
and it turned into a ballroom blitz♫