Section B · Page 4
The University Daily Kansan
Wednesday, November 15, 2000
Contraceptive option could have men popping pills
By Joanna Miller
Kansan correspondent
trimize birth control options for students. Pharmaceutical companies are developing a male contraception pill similar to the pill used by women. It may be available to the public in five to 10 years.
A new contraception method may revolutionize birth control options for students.
Luke Humphreys, Ashland sophomore, said he would like to know more about the pill, such as its side effects and price, before making decisions about its use.
"I think it would be a smart thing to do, especially for college students," Humphreys said.
"If the guy would care about his mate, it would be no problem, so they wouldn't have to add stress to their relationship," Humphreys said.
As the female birth control pill celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, some think the male pill will change social control issues between men and women
Humphreys said students who take their sexual relationships seriously should con-
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Haveman, graduate teaching assistant in the department of sociology, said these gender issues are why the male pill wasn't developed sooner.
"Ideally, this would be a move toward greater gender equality," she said. "I think it is very telling that we came out with Viagra before male birth-control."
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She said she wondered if the male pill would take reproductive control out of the hands of women.
Stopping or neutralizing millions of sperm is more complex than blocking one egg. Because of this complication, the male pill took longer to develop.
Science also has hindered the development of the male pill.
This form of male birth control consists of two parts. Doctors implant a small pellet of testosterone into the abdomen. This needs to be done once every 12 weeks. The implant keeps sex drive at a normal level.
Krista Douthett, Topeka sophomore, said she was glad that men would have a new birth control option, but she would not trust the entire responsibility to men.
By neutralizing sperm, the medication would make pregnancy improbable.
Then a pill containing progesterone, another male hormone, is taken daily. The combination of the two hormones can stop sperm production in two to three months.
"I would still use my birth control because the consequences would directly relate to my life," Douthett said.
— Edited by Kathryn Moore
Sexually transmitted diseases
Disease Chlamydia HPV/Genital Warts/Intrapithelial Neoplasia Herpes Simplex (HSV) Molluscum Contagiosum Chancroid Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
Transmission Fluids — contact of mucous membranes (cervix, urethra) with infected person's fluids (semen and mucus). Transmission most common with exposure through vaginal or anal sex. Casual contact considered to be safe.
Contact — touching (hand/genital or genital/genital) and infected person's lesions can transmit cells containing the virus. Penetrative intercourse not necessary.
Contact — touching (hand/genital or genital/genital) and infected person's lesions can transmit cells containing the virus. Penetrative intercourse not necessary. Transmission can occur in the absence of lesions.
Contact — touching (hand/genital or genital/genital) and infected person's lesions can transmit cells containing the virus. Penetrative intercourse not necessary.
Contact — touching (hand/genital or genital/genital) and infected person's lesions can transmit cells containing the virus. Penetrative intercourse not necessary.
Transmission most common with exposure through oral, anal, or vaginal sex. Casual contact considered to be safe.
Treatment A number of commonly used antibiotics are effective. Partners must be treated at the same time.
Cervix-cryo (freezing), laser, and LEEP (loop electrourgical excision procedure). External Aldara, cryo, laser, Iliquid N, TCA/BCA (tri and bichloracetic acid), podophyllin, and interferon. In some, the virus is cleared from the body. For others, viral particles remain latent form after treatment.
With most initial attack, the process is too far along to allow for benefit from antiviral drugs. Topical anesthetic powder or gel is helpful. Antiviral drugs are effective if taken very early in an attack or continuously in a preventive regimen.
Cryo, scraping, chemicals.
Responds promptly to several antibiotics.
Therapy with one or more antibiotics with broad coverage. Must always cover for chlamydia and gonorrhea; management sometimes requires hospitalization. Partners must be treated at the same time.
Prevention Infect condoms (latex or polyurethane) should provide protection.
Barrier methods are only partially protective. Only total absence of any touching of infected tissue will avoid transmission.
Barrier methods are only partially protective. Only total absence of any touching of infected tissue will avoid transmission.
Barrier methods are only partially protective. Only total absence of any touching of infected tissue will avoid transmission.
Infect condoms (latex or polyurethane) should provide protection. Hormonal contraceptive methods (birth control pill, Depro-Provera, Norplant, etc.) help prevent recurrent attacks by suppressing ovulatory menstrual cycle.
Source: What Everyone Should Know
Kyle Ramsey/KANSAN
Condoms don't always prevent STDs
Kansan correspondent
By Louise Stauffer
Genital warts, herpes and chancroid are the most common sexually transmitted diseases found on college campuses.
And none of them can be prevented by using a condom.
Surprised? You shouldn't be. Genital warts, herpes, chancroid and other STDs are spread from partner to partner by contact. Contact is defined as touching a partner (hand-to-genital or genital-to-genital).
In a place with thousands of unfamiliar faces such as a college campus, being careful when being intimate with someone is important. Simply using a condom as protection isn't enough.
Henry Buck, senior student health physician at Watkins Memorial Health Center, said that using a condom during any sexual activity wasn't a safeguard against all STDs.
"There is a common misconception that a condom will protect you from everything, and that is not true." Buck said, "That theory is full of holes."
Buck said that most people were taught that condoms were the only thing needed for safe sex.
"Most people are worried about getting AIDS, and that can usually be prevented by using a condom," Buck said. "Using a condom makes sex safer, but you are still at risk for other STDs."
According to a pamphlet Buck wrote,
"Sexually Transmitted Diseases: What
Everyone Should Know," the most common STDs on campuses included genital warts, chlamydia, genital herpes and molluscum. These STDs can be cured with antibiotics if caught early. Genital warts and molluscum can be identified by lesions on the skin, but recent reports suggest that transmission can occur in the absence of lesions. This can make identifying a safe partner tricky.
Katie Lindsey, Grand Junction, Colo., freshman, said she didn't have to worry about STDs.
"I have been in a monogamous relationship for 10 months, so we don't worry about it," Lindsay said. "But I do think it's important to be careful." But Rock disgusted.
"There is no such thing as 'safe sex,'"
Buck said. "Abstinence is the only way."
The Watkins Health Center Web site provides tips on how to make sex safer. The site listed no-risk activities, such as massages, hugging, phone or Internet sex and fantasy. The highest-risk activities listed were unprotected anal intercourse, unprotected vaginal intercourse and sharing needles for drugs or piercing.
The best way to prevent STDs, Buck said, is to communicate with your partner, practice abstinence or else practice safer sex.
"We all have the 'it's not going to happen to me' theory," Buck said.
Edited by J. R. Mendoza
Contraceptive methods satisfy different needs
Affordability, reliability affect students' options when making a choice
By Andrea White
Kansan correspondent
The age-old fear of unwanted pregnancy is still a concern for sexually active students.
A number of factors should be considered when choosing a method of contraception, said Janis Ellis-Claypool, a health educator at Watkins Memorial Health Center.
"They should consider what they can afford and when they might want to have children," Ellis-Claypool said. "And it is always a good idea to talk to your current physician."
ties should agree on who should take the lead."
Ellis-Claypool also emphasized the need for people to speak with their partners when choosing a method.
"Contraception is not just a female responsibility," she said. "Both par-
Contraception falls into two basic categories: hormonal and barrier methods.
Henry Buck, senior student health physician at Watkins, said oral contraceptives were the most popular choice for KU students.
"The pill is more popular because it is more effective. You don't have to use it at the time of intercourse and it doesn't interfere with intercourse." Buck said.
Women have another choice if they decide the pill is the best method for them. Two types of pills exist: the combined pill, which contains the synthetic hormones estrogen and progesterone, and the mini-pill, which only contains progesterone.
Buck said the combined pill was much cheaper and much more effective, with only one to two unintended pregnancies per thousand, and the progesterone-only pill had a pregnancy rate of about 10 times higher.
Another hormonal contraceptive is Depo-Provera, an injection of the hormone progesterone, taken every three months. While Buck doesn't recommend Depo-Provera as a first choice, he said it was an option for women who did not want to worry about taking a pill every day.
Men also may eventually have the option to use a hormonal contraceptive, which would inhibit sperm production. The pill, a combination of the male sex hormones testosterone and desogestrol, is currently undergoing clinical trials.
"They have been talking about it for a long time." Buck said.
Buck said he was unsure of the popularity a male pill might have if released because of possible negative side effects. Buck said there was some concern if sperm production was altered, it might not bounce back.
A female condom called Reality was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1994. The female condom does not seem to have gained any popularity on campus, however.
While oral contraceptives probably were used more on campus, condoms were also used to prevent pregnancy, Buck said, and other barrier methods
existed besides the traditional male condom.
"They bought about 50 in the pharmacy when it came out, and I don't think they have sold any." Buck said. "They are hard to use, big, bulky, messy and not aesthetically pleasing.
The diaphragm and cervical cap are less effective barrier methods. Watkins fits women for diaphragms but not cervical caps.
"They are not popular." Buck said. "The pregnancy rate is much higher: five to eight percent. We fit 10 diaphragms a year at most at Watkins."
Students can learn more about methods of birth control by making an appointment at Watkins or picking up brochures available there.
— Edited by Erin McDaniel
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