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Comment by NateEag | Hacker News Reader

This reminded me to look up Vasalgel again (a single-application, non-hormonal, long-lasting, reversible male contraceptive that is unfortunately not yet commercially available), and I see that it seems to have taken a meaningful step forward:

https://www.parsemus.org/humanhealth/male-contraceptive-rese...

Apparently a company's moving forward with an attempt to productize it: https://www.planaformen.com/

With an option like that in the wings, and not yet shown to have any ill effects in men so far, it's hard not to cynically think that hormonal birth control is pushed forward because a monthly or daily pill is far more profitable than a once-in-a-decade injection / flushing.

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There are tens of thousands of men taking injectables in the US and worldwide today who completely bypass the medical gatekeeping establishment. These injectables have been shown to reduce fertility to nil and last for up to 6 months.

The specific one in question here (very dangerous in small doses, do not seek) is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trestolone

These men also have an extremely high risk of side effects (as they are taking some of the strongest androgens) including:

- Losing fat

- Getting extremely strong and muscular

- Deepening of the voice

- Awful sleep disruption which leads to irritability, with profoundly violent and sexual dreams

- Much lower patience

- A sense of high-energy

- Acne all over the place, that becomes cystic and doesn't respond to typical treatment

- Big increase in body hair

- Big loss of head hair

- Enormously increased chances of death from heart disease or liver or kidney failure

Most guys are taking this for the muscle and energy effects, and consider sterilization a side effect. It's when the same molecule is being looked at from the perspective of temporary sterilization as the desired effect that all the bodybuilder stuff becomes the side effect.

From wikipedia:

> Side effects of trestolone use in men include low estrogen levels and associated symptoms such as reduced sexual function

> Trestolone may cause sexual dysfunction (e.g., decreased sex drive, reduced erectile function)

Well, that's one way to avoid pregnancy.

Sex is a distraction from gainz

Thanks for sharing about this. Looks like they're hoping for a wide market release in 2026.

https://idahocapitalsun.com/2023/04/11/viable-male-birth-con...

One thing that has occurred to me about these types of medications is men are seemingly more willing to lie than women about being on contraception. IMO that's just a reason to criminalize that type of deceptive behavior and not prevent people from having access to the drug.

That doesn't make much sense to me since you can lie about a vasectomy or, more simply, about pulling out.

Only the woman, at the end of the day, when it comes to men she can't trust, can either avoid getting raw-dogged OR take a contraceptive to be sure, herself, since she's the one at risk of getting pregnant.

Are you talking about condoms or hormonal birth control? Are there results on a study I can read somewhere about how often people lie about contraceptive use? Can't find anything.

I don't believe that would be politically tenable. The state / society wants fathers (or at least someone) to pay child support. This kind of law would have a chilling effect on mothers who claim or simply allow someone to take the child's role as a father, even if they're not sure.

You could have a medical procedure certification card.

It's often funny to me how there will be such a massive gnashing of teeth about whether or not something is prescription or OTC available to women, when Men essentially have no contraceptive choice and have 100% liability the moment it leaves our body, potentially including in cases of paternity fraud.

It'd be like if we told women they had to have the baby the moment their egg accepts a sperm, regardless of the reasons it ended up there.

Men can wear condoms and/or get a vasectomy.

Women can wear condoms and/or get Tubal ligation.

And yet Men have 100% liability the moment it leaves our body, potentially including in cases of paternity fraud.

It pretty much evens out, given what being pregnant does to someone. You could always just sleep with men if it really bothers you that much.

The same could be said to women i guess. your point transposes to

> If women don't like the risk of getting pregnant and not being allowed to have an abortion, they can just sleep with women.

It's both insensitive and obviously not a good argument.

Or just stop showering /s

Providers can be loath to give men vasectomies if they haven't already had children. That's changing, but still can be a barrier.

> It'd be like if we told women they had to have the baby the moment their egg accepts a sperm, regardless of the reasons it ended up there.

I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic or not here, but that is pretty much what exactly is happening in much of the USA. It's sad, disappointing and, frankly, irrational, at least from the perspective you present.

A majority of Americans still have access to abortion that is _less_ restrictive than most EU countries. The Supreme Court did not outlaw abortion. In my state, abortions can be legally performed right up until birth.

Telling this to other Europeans who comment stuff like "I can't believe they outlawed abortion in the US" just doesn't get old. From "Damned brutal patriarchy" to "Damned children murderers" in less than 5 seconds.

I always wonder why the truth gets buried. What I said was accurate, but it does go against several popular narratives. Nobody wants nuance, but these things are entirely comprised of nuance.

I agree. What I'm pointing at is that it's sufficiently similar that it's unfair to do the same to a man.

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