Reply #16: Unfortunately, biology is making that tough. [View All]

[politicat]

In lay terms, the fact that we produce an egg a month makes controlling that much easier than controlling 500 sperm cells a minute. (or whatever the number is). There are a couple of male methods, one involving heat (very easy if you have access to 2 things - a hot tub/heating pad or other heat producing device and a microscope, and 3 weeks) and one involving a chemical called gossypol that is derived from cottonseed oil, but both have drawbacks. The problem with the heat method is that it takes only one to cause a pregnancy, and because fertility returns gradually, the man can be fertile without knowing it... and he doesn't take the biological burden of carrying the kid.

The gossypol issue is equally complex - it's a toxic chemical which, while rendering a man sterile for 4 to 6 months on a short regimen of pills, has a 20% chance of permanent sterility and can cause liver damage. It's not legal in the US, and is not likely to pass FDA requirements.

I can send you more information if you're interested in the heat method - it's relatively simple and not uncomfortable. But the risk you run is your own...