Whither methods for men? Emerging gender issues in contraception

References

• The most recent UN statistics (1994) indicate that globally, 57 per cent of 899 million couples of reproductive age are using a contraceptive method. Methods for men account for 31 per cent of current contraceptive use worldwide. Britain is one of only two countries (with the Netherlands) in which the percentage of sterilised men is equivalent to that of women.
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• The focus on gender issues in this paper should not minimalise the fact that adverse effects were experienced by a few participants. Interviewees included the two couples who left the trial due to adverse side effects. From a scientific standpoint, without a control or comparison group, few conclusions can be drawn from this contraceptive efficacy trial about whether perceived effects, positive or negative, are attributable to the androgen or other factors. Attention to the experience of those who leave a trial may be as important as that of ongoing participants for developing a safe, effective method for men.
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