First, the good news:
A new hormonal shot for men has proven capable of preventing pregnancy in their female partners. The participants, ranging in age from 18 to 45, received an injection of 1,000 milligrams of a synthetic form or testosterone and 200 milligrams of progestin (a derivative of progesterone and estrogen) once a week for two months. Researchers found that the method was effective in nearly 96% of continuing users.
Now, the bad news:
The study was discontinued when 20 of the 320 participants, or a rather middling 6.2% of them, decided the side effects were too big a burden to offset the benefits. The main side effects noted by the men? Mood swings and muscle pain.
Side effects are nothing new for hormonal birth control. The “pill,” which 28% of American women of reproductive age take, lists the following as commonly experienced side effects: nausea, weight gain, abdominal pain, chest pain, headaches, swelling or aching in the legs and thighs — and mood swings.
We imagine the 10.6 million women who regularly and willingly cope with those symptons have a short and sweet message for the 20 men who put the kibosh on the study:
Grow a pair.
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