The male pill - well nearly

Will men take up the implant? Breakfast finds many are sceptical

A new form of contraception could soon be available which would eventually provide more choice and greater reliability for men.

The first male contraceptive implant is about to undergo its first tests on men in 14 countries.

Two centres in the UK will take part in the trials - The Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, London and The Manchester Royal Infirmary.

Breakfast asked: how will it work - and will men accept an implant which interferes with their natural hormonal balance?

We talked to the man behind the research, Dr Pierre-Marc Bouloux - and to one of those who's volunteering to take part in medical trials for the injection, Ryan Doolan

But will many men want to have the new implant? We talked to newspaper columnist Sue Carroll - and to our regular GP, Dr Rosemary Leonard.

That discussion provoked an avalanche of e-mails

click here to go to our Your Comments section

360 men will take part in the trials worldwide - each will be implanted with the female hormone progesterone which lasts for a year.

It temporarily reduces the production of sperm to such low levels that it almost makes the man infertile.

The average UK male produces 20 to 200 million sperm per millilitre; the implant reduces this to less than one million per millilitre.

A testosterone injection is also given every three months which maintains male hormones at their normal level.

Once the implant is removed, sperm production should return to normal within three to six months without any after effects.

Dr Bouloux and his team are happy with the principal of the implant, and are now looking to test the efficacy and safety of the procedure on the volunteers.

The next stage of testing will involve thousands of men before the procedure is 'certified' by regulatory bodies, but the process is lengthy so the implants probably won't be available for another five years.

"The burden of contraception has been on the woman," says Dr Bouloux "because of a lack of suitable alternatives."

This would now give men the opportunity to take responsibility, although this raises concerns about how keen some would be.

The implant is bound to prove popular with couples in stable relationships who don't want to rely on the pill, vasectomy or condoms.

Tell us what you think: will men really want an implant which upsets their natural hormone balance - and will women trust men who claim to have had one?