The disadvantages include heavier menstrual flow, an increased risk of uterine infection, and increased risk of ovarian cysts. The advantage of an IUD lies in its long-term protection and relative ease of use. The failure rate of IUDs ranges from 0.1 to 0.8 percent, depending on the type of IUD used.Īn intrauterine device can be inserted on any day of the menstrual period and immediately after a birth or abortion. When the IUD is in place an abnormally high number of white blood cells pass into the uterine cavity, and the egg, even if fertilized, is destroyed by the white blood cells before implantation. Like oral contraceptives, IUDs probably act in several complementary ways. The IUD, made in a variety of shapes, is placed in the uterus by passing it through the cervix under sterile conditions. While intrauterine devices (IUDs) were invented in the 19th century, they only came into widespread use in the late 1950s, when flexible plastic devices were developed by Jack Lippes and others. Intrauterine devicesĪlmost any foreign body placed in the uterus will prevent pregnancy. Dimethandrolone undecanoate (DMAU), which suppresses follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone in men, has shown some promise as a form of male birth control. Most substances used in the control of male fertility, however, either have proved toxic or have depressed sexual drive as well as sperm count. Sperm production has been controlled under experimental conditions, and in China a substance called gossypol, derived from the cottonseed, has been used as an oral contraceptive for males. Research on a male pill has been disappointing. A woman’s menstrual cycle, with predictable time of ovulation, is medically much simpler to control. In normal circumstances a man can produce several million sperm per day and is almost continually fertile.
MALE BIRTH CONTROL HOW TO
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