More than half of men willing to take hormonal contraception if it exists, survey finds

Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life

Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice

More than half of men have said they would take a hormonal contraceptive if it was developed for them.

A recent survey showed that 52 per cent of sexually active straight and bisexual men between the ages of 18 to 44 said they would take such a contraceptive.

The study comes after a breakthrough earlier this year in the development of a male contraceptive which essentially “freezes” sperm for an hour.

The reality of a male hormonal contraceptive is still a few years away, as studies have only been conducted on mice thus far. However, scientists have said the research is encouraging and indicates that an effective, reversible oral contraceptive for men will be possible.

The study, which was published on 14 February, revealed the medication is testing as 100 per cent effective for up to an hour after being taken.

The contraceptive pill is currently the main form of contraception for more than a third of women in the UK. The new YouGov survey indicated that 46 per cent of women who are straight or bisexual and aged 18-44 already take a hormonal pill.

A further 16 per cent of women say they would “probably” or “definitely” consider taking it at some point in their lives.

Although more than half of the men surveyed said they would try a similar contraceptive for themselves, their results were more divisive than the women’s. Around a fifth (22 per cent) said they would “definitely” try it and the majority saying they would “probably” try it, but one in three men said they probably (16 per cent) wouldn’t take it.

Around a fifth (19 per cent) of the men surveyed were staunchly against the idea and said they would “definitely” not consider the new scientific breakthrough.

Over three quarters of Britons agree that men and women should be equally responsible for taking contraception. However, only two people out of ten think that this currently happens, with most (60 per cent) believing that women now take more responsibility.