yes it will emasculate a guy, but I'm wondering how safe it is. Birth control alters a hormone cycle that already occurs in women, I wonder if there is a similar biological cycle for the platform for male birth control?

Personally I wouldn't feel emasculated at all, but I'm sure some guys would. And that's a good question.

The research being done on oral or injectable male birth control is concentrated on NOT "emasculating" the man using the birth control. (I'm not really sure what you mean by "emasculating" though.) Do female BC methods "Defeminate" women?

There have been male BC methods, but any that have even mild side effects, like a small reduction in semen (not a lack of semen, but a small decrease) or an effect on beard growth and the drug is not approved for use.

Odd, as many of the side effects of female BC pills were known before the Pill was placed on the market, yet none of them were deemed bad enough to prevent FDA approval.....not even the increase in blood clots.

Men's sex drive may vary throughout time, but most men make the same amount of sperm per day. About 200 million for a young, healthy man. The number of semen does decrease (although is still there) as a man becomes older.

The challenge for a mans BC method is to prevent ANY sperm from being made. It is said that preventing one egg from being released is "easier" than preventing all 200 million sperm from being formed, but I'm not really convinced. Some of the reasons past forms of male BC was not approved for release were simply plain sexist.

Can you suggest something that will not medically affect a woman's health and libido?

I agree! And this is why I find birth control sexist, in America at least.

I have only read a few articles on male birth control, but here is my understanding. You can still ejaculate, but your semen is not fertile.

Thank you! Many people in my family have chosen not to have children because it wasn't right for the lifestyle they want, but their friends, and even members of the family, frown on their decision and say they will regret or change their mind! This is so frustrating. Just because society wants everyone to join a church, get married, have two kids and buy a home does not make that right. This may not be my place, but I'm glad you realize that you don't want to be barefoot and pregnant just because society, and apparently gynecologists, wants you to make the same choice they do.

This does not stop sperm production. I am not in the medical field and have only read a few articles on male birth control but my understanding is that you still ejaculate and produce sperm, however they do not carry the necessary information to properly fertilize an egg. While you are on the pill, and for approximately two weeks after, you are infertile, however after that, there will be no lasting side effects and you will be fertile again.

Would you be okay with your daughter taking the pill to protect her from an unwanted pregnancy? Are you aware of the many adverse side effects that many women on the pill experience?

I think JR's question about birth control being sexist is actually more interesting than the question about male birth control. And I would have to say, that yes, birth control is extremely sexist. Admittedly, the lack of or failure of birth control has a much greater impact on a woman's life than on a man's.

But that doesn't change the fact that is socially acceptable and even expected that a woman will risk her health and well-being to prevent pregnancy, but men are unwilling to take the same risks. Many men even complain about having to use condoms which -- unless you happen to have an allergic reaction to latex -- are completely risk free for the man. There is still the risk of pregnancy for the woman since condoms are still only about 80% effective.

If the pregnancy is unwanted, the fetus IS a parasite and a burden.

Not everyone wants children. Nor should you judge them for not wanting to go through the physical and emotional difficulties of going through with an unwanted pregnancy or making the decision to have an abortion -- which is also physically difficult, just not as bad as a full pregnancy.

You are welcome to believe and feel whatever you want, but don't criticize someone else for their beliefs and feelings.

The "fetus" is a human being. So while you are entitled to your own opinion about abortion, the term "parasite" is offensive to me AND a lot of people.

Because vasectomies are not considered reversible. Some are able to be reversed, but they are the minority, and the likelihood of a successful reversal decreases with time since the original surgery.

There is really no such thing as a "reversible vasectomy."

Because not all vasectomies are reversible. It varies by the person, the length of time since the procedure was performed and on some unknown situations. It depends on a lot of factors, most of which can't be determined before the vasectomy is done. Some men form a lot of scar tissue, and in some men even reconnecting the vas deferens won't allow sperm to enter the penis, due to several factors. (Because with a vasectomy, sperm is still being made every day). The procedure simply prevents it from getting to the urethra, in the same way that a tubal ligation prevents the egg from getting into the fallopian tubes. But, most people who choose sterilization simply won't respond to a reversal procedure. Some do, but there's no knowing ahead of time who will respond to a reversal and who won't. (Also, doctors HATE when people want to reverse a sterilization. It was made clear to the patient that this procedure was permanent when they received it first.)

Both a tubal ligation and a vasectomy should be considered permanent forms of birth control. Some people can have them reversed (but insurance doesn't cover it, for obvious reasons) but the majority of people will not regain their fertility. It's actually cheaper to obtain an egg directly from the ovary, as soon as its ripe or remove sperm from behind the section of the vasectomy than to reverse the procedure.

A vasectomy is very minor surgery. my Master was in the hospital for only about half an hour and they did a very small incision and it was done. It works good for us because there are no more worries about birth control. He was only off work for a few days and then was back to normal with no complications. I was glad to get off the birth control pill which affected my health a lot.