Here's a link to a new article by Georgie Binks at CBC News explaining
why she believes it's high time for new contraceptives for men. Binks
summarizes work on RISUG, the IVD, and a male hormonal contraceptive.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/viewpoint/vp_binks/20060728.html


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GEORGIE BINKS:
Not just a female problem
CBC News Viewpoint | July 28, 2006

A teenage boy has a one-night stand with a teenage girl. She becomes
pregnant, decides to have the baby. He now pays support and sees his
child. Despite having had no relationship besides that one night, the
parents now have a lifelong connection because of the pregnancy.

Another guy, divorced and about 20 years older, is enjoying playing
the field when he discovers he is going to be a father. Of twins. A
woman he had a brief encounter with wasn't using birth control, nor
was he wearing a condom. So much for footloose and fancy-free. He was
last seen pushing a double-stroller.

Did either of these guys ever think of birth control before enjoying
their brief encounters? Most young people are warned about the dangers
of sexually transmitted infections, but unwanted pregnancy is still
largely viewed as a female problem.

Pregnancy should be a big worry for males these days, because the law
has made them financially responsible for their children financially,
but the condom or a vasectomy are still the only two birth control
options available to men. Once a woman becomes pregnant, it's her
decision whether or not to continue the pregnancy.

Lyba Spring, a sexual health educator with Toronto Public Health,
says, "A woman's right to choose is a woman's right to choose
according to the Supreme Court of Canada. What happens in the case of
pregnancy is entirely her decision."

We need to talk

Spring advises heterosexual couples to discuss certain issues. "Before
they have sexual intercourse they have to talk about how each of them
feels about abortion. Parents have to take special time with a
heterosexual son to say the implications of having unprotected sex are
huge in terms of the rest of your life."

A male teacher at a boys' school says, "I tell the guys a girl may
tell you that she would have an abortion, but when faced with the
situation, she may not. As a guy, you've lost complete control. So the
only method of contraception we have any control with is the condom."

Elaine Lissner, the founder of Male Contraceptive Information Project
and MaleContraceptives.org says she initially became involved in the
issue of male contraception because she was frustrated watching her
female friends suffer the side-effects of various contraceptives. Now
she says men want a choice, but they're stuck.

"They have more responsibilities but not more options," she explains.
"If your condom breaks you're out of luck. A lot of men write in and
say `I want to have some control here; women have control, why don't I?'"

Right now, there are three areas of research in male contraception —
hormonal, a method called RISUG (an acronym for reversible inhibition
of sperm under guidance) and the IVD (intra vas device).

Dr. Ronald Weiss, assistant professor of medicine at the University of
Ottawa, says, "One of the problems with hormonal contraception is that
it reduces the production of testosterone, so it has be given with
testosterone."

The RISUG method involves injecting a polymer gel into the vas
deferens, coating the walls of it and blocking or disrupting sperm as
they go by. To reverse it, the polymer is flushed out of the vas with
another injection. Dr. Weiss calls it one of the most innovative
methods of male contraception. "It's safe, effective and locally
acting." However, much more testing needs to be conducted to satisfy
stringent standards in North America.

The third method is the IVD or intra vas device, a double plug that
goes in each of the vas deferens, the tubes that sperm swim through,
which are usually cut and tied during a vasectomy. Instead of cutting
the tubes, the plugs are inserted and can later be removed.

Getting the business

Dr. Weiss says there's tremendous interest in developing new forms of
male contraception. However, " In the Western world, business is
business. You want something you can sell over and over again.
Hormonal contraception is a hot thing in the Western world precisely
for that reason. If you're looking at something you administer once
that can't be resold, profit issues are a problem. That's why there
hasn't been a lot of interest from the pharmaceutical industry."

Lissner says, "Part of my job is to educate people about this research
so they can push for more government funding to move the studies
forward, because they've been moving at a snail's pace. A lot will
depend a lot on whether or not men raise their voices and demand new
options to go with their new responsibilities. Researchers often
complain they don't have the vocal advocacy group like breast cancer
or AIDS researchers do. We're working to change that. If you have
nothing to offer men, you can't really complain that they're not
involved."

On the other hand, Dr. Weiss says, "If a man forgets to take a pill he
won't get pregnant. Men and women are not equal in the area of
contraception. It will always be a greater risk to women."

At the same time, until more effective forms of contraception are
offered to men, it's vital young males are better educated about
unwanted pregnancy. We do our boys no favours by presenting it solely
as a female issue.

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