Advances in male contraception - overview

Now

The main methods available to men are:

• Abstention (unsatisfactory - in various ways!)
• Withdrawal (very unreliable).
• Vasectomy (pretty reliable, although there are some disputes, but irreversible in many cases. But - store your sperm first, so you still have options).
• Condoms (uncomfortable to some, certainly noticeable, and still not totally reliable).

This is changing.

Future

Contraceptives for men are likely to improve & proliferate to a massive degree over the next decade or 2. Some of them will be unobtrusive. Some, such as the use of super-glue in the vas deferentia, will enable men to be infertile until they choose to reverse it. Reversal will be pretty reliable.

There are physical methods, hormonal methods, chemical methods which don't use hormones within the body, but still use chemical means, by proximity, to destroy the sperm.

In the case of casual sex, condoms are probably better as well as or instead of because of the risk of STDs. In short-to-medium-term relationships, male contraceptives which have some visible sign (implant, etc) may overcome some residual suspicion.

Surveys

There is a separate question about whether women would trust men sufficiently to stop using the female pill. (Some men may not want women to do so - they would prefer the extra confidence).

Some of these questions were explored in a survey of many women in various parts of the world:
"Would women trust their partners to use a male pill?"
National Library of Medicine - PubMed

The BBC has run on-line discussions, with a range of responses from sensible to silly, and covering all views from "yes" to "no":

"Will men take the pill?"

"Would you trust a man to take the pill?