Male birth control has been up in the air and up for debate for a long time now. Many people believe that women should not have to be the only ones taking precautions to prevent unwanted pregnancy, while some feel it is not the man’s responsibility.
A male contraceptive has been undergoing tests in Switzerland. The male birth control is in the form of a shot, and while the contraceptive has so far been seen as effective, some men are claiming that the side effects of the medication are too much.
A study for 266 men resulted in only four fathering a child. However, the researchers decided to cut the study short because 20 men (3% of the overall study), stated that they began feeling side effects from the medicine including depression and other mood disorders, as well as acne and increased libido.
Upon learning this, women on the Internet and nationwide have been shocked at the researchers’ reasoning for ending the study. After all, side effects of the birth control pills that women have been taking for decades include both depression and acne, and 20% of women taking birth control experience symptoms of depression.
Birth control for women also includes much more dangerous side effects such as fatal blood clots and strokes, something that several doctors and professors including Elisabeth Lloyd think that men need to take into consideration.
“These risks of fertility damage are not fatal risks like the women endure with their birth control,” Lloyd said in an interview with CNN. “You have to compare what women are doing in terms of taking hormones with what men are doing in terms of taking hormones. Are they taking their life in their hands when they take the hormones? Women are. And that needs to be put right up in front when considering the risk.”