Men Dropped Out of Male Birth Control Study Because of Mood Swings

Hormonal birth control has a couple of amazing benefits: namely, that it helps to prevent unintended pregnancies, and, for many women, it helps with period-related issues like heavy flow (it can even clear up your skin). But there can also be a couple of serious downsides: it might contribute to weight gain, change the way we feel physically, and cause sudden shifts in mood. Not always a blast.

Unfortunately, up until now, it's been up to women to shoulder the burden of hormonal birth control—there simply hasn't been an equivalent medication for men. But researchers are getting ever closer: In fact, one promising study published Friday was clocking a efficacy rate of 96 percent with hormonal contraceptive shots until it was called to a halt. Why? Too many men—20 of the 320 in the study—had dropped out due to the side effects, including mood changes and issues relating to them.

Turns out men hate mood swings just as much as we do.

The contraception works by lowering sperm counts through regular progestogen-testosterone injections. And the 96 percent efficacy rate is seriously promising (though that rate is still not as high as it is with pill, which is more than 99 percent effective when taken correctly).

But, as the University of Edinburgh study mentioned, "The frequencies of mild to moderate mood disorders were relatively high." According to the white paper, "6 men discontinued only for changes in mood, and 6 men discontinued for the following single reasons: acne, pain or panic at first injection, palpitations, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction. Eight men discontinued for more than 1 side effect, including multiple reasons related to changes in mood."

Others felt the side effects but in a more mild way, according to study author Richard Anderson, who spoke to Broadly about the research: "A lot of people reported the side effects in quite a mild way and not very many people withdrew from the study." Some patients, he added, reported "feeling down."

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How Much Do Guys Know About Birth Control?

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But there's hope ahead! "The study found it is possible to have a hormonal contraceptive for men that reduces the risk of unplanned pregnancies in the partners of men who use it," said study author Mario Philip Reyes Festin, MD, of the World Health Organization. Translation: Yeah, male hormonal birth control can work.

The trick now is to improve the efficacy and make the side effects palatable: "At the end of the day, it's going to be a matter of someone taking it, and if they find the side effects too bad, they're going to stop taking it and look for something else." Anderson says. "It's a matter of trying to improve the option choices so that people find something that works for them."

While no one wants to ride a rollercoaster of emotions on hormonal contraception, we do want a world where men and women alike have great options when it comes to family planning. We're rooting for you, science!

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