Thursday, July 21, 2011

HEALTH - Guys, Our Turn, Male Birth Control Pill

"Indonesian Plant Shows Promise for Male Birth Control" PBS Newshour 7/20/2011

Excerpts from transcript

RAY SUAREZ (Newshour): Doctors are especially excited because gandarusa doesn't alter male hormones but rather changes the chemistry on the tip of each individual spermatozoon, making them unable to pierce the outer wall of a female egg, or oocyte.

Dr. Dyan Pramesti is working on the clinical trial.

DR. DYAN PRAMESTI, Airlangga University: It interferes with the enzyme which is located on the sperm head. The enzyme is needed to perforate the wall of the oocyte. If the enzyme is not active, or reduces the activity, the sperm cannot perforate the wall of the oocyte.

RAY SUAREZ: So no pregnancy?

DR. DYAN PRAMESTI: No pregnancy.

RAY SUAREZ: Dr. Pramesti and her colleagues have made another crucial finding: the pill's effect is not permanent. On average, men were fertile again just two months after they stopped taking the pill.
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DR. SUGIRI SYARIEF, director of the Population and Family Planning Board, Indonesia: They think that. Family planning, oh that is the woman's responsibility. Right now we try to make awareness among the men that family planning is not only for women, but it is a decision made by couples, husbands and wives.

RAY SUAREZ: But Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih says the low participation rate is because right now men have only two options: using condoms or getting a vasectomy.

DR. ENDANG RAHAYU SEDYANINGSIH, Minister of Health, Indonesia: They don't like those choices. But here if we can find a pill that they can just swallow and no affect to their—

RAY SUAREZ: Desire?

DR. ENDANG RAHAYU SEDYANINGSIH: Yes (laughing). Libido. So I think they would be very happy to take that.


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