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If you aren't ready for the pill, condom is the other option

Living

Just about 10 per cent of all known contraceptives are meant for men. In fact, there are only two legally applicable male contraceptives: male condoms and vasectomy.

Some will take this as yet another proof that it is a man's world. That it is men who call the shots and have therefore deliberately stalled development of diverse contraceptives for men. Is that the case?

Well, not really, argues Dr Elly Odongo, an obstetrician and gynaecologist.

"Scientifically, it is easier to make contraceptives for women. A woman has a monthly cycle. We have studied that cycle and know that we can interrupt it at any point to prevent pregnancy," Dr Odongo says.

"Men however don't have a cycle: men produce sperms continuously – it never stops. Also, men don't have cavities in their reproductive system (like the womb in women) where we can put an IUD to prevent pregnancy."

Vasectomy is a more permanent method and has very little chance of being reversed. This permanency seems to discourage most men – and even married women – against picking vasectomy as an option.

Dr Kai Haldre, a reproductive health specialist says that with more research, scientists could come up with more contraceptives for men.

"The only problem is that men are not very receptive to research," Dr Haldre says. "This makes it even harder to find contraception for men considering that men, unlike women, don't have a cycle that can be arrested at some point."

The only other method is the condom.

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