Study: Birth Control For Men Successful But Curtailed Due To Complaints Of Side Effects

DETROIT (WWJ) - A highly successful birth control for men shelved due to complaints about the side effects during the study.

The side effects, which mirror the side effects of many women's contraceptives, included acne and altering moods.

The birth control injection showed a 96 percent effective rate among the 266 men who used the contraceptive.

The shot prevented pregnancy by temporarily lowering a man's sperm count.

The most common adverse events, according to the study, were acne, injection site pain, increased libido, and mood disorders.

"Following the recommendation of an external safety review committee the recruitment and hormone injections were terminated early."

In layman's terms -- they couldn't handle the pain.

The study, which appeared in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, showed that the contraceptive efficacy was relatively good compared with other reversible methods available for men. The frequencies of mild to moderate mood disorders were relatively high.

The most common side effects for the women's birth control options include: Intermenstrual spotting, nausea, headaches, weight gain, breast tenderness, mood changes, and decreased libido.