Male Hormonal Contraception: Shifting Infertility and the Acceptability of a New Contraceptive Technology in Indonesia

Harris S. Solomon, Emory University
Kathryn M. Yount, Emory University
Michael Mbizvo, World Health Organization (WHO)

With clinical trials underway in industrialized and developing countries, the introduction of a hormonal contraceptive method for men is reasonably predicted within the near future. Male hormonal contraception (MHC) has been shown to confer reversible infertility for at least one year in men with normal gonadal function. However, while clinical trials refine hormonal regimens, their acceptability, cultural meanings, and implications for sexual relationships remain underexplored. This paper presents findings from semi-structured interviews conducted with men and their female partners in an on-going MHC clinical trial in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia. Fourteen men and their partners were interviewed in Jakarta, and ten men and their partners in Palembang. We examine men's and women's motivations to participate in the trial and their perceptions of the injection's physical, psychological, and social effects. We situate this analysis within cultural, historical, economic, and interpersonal influences on use and reactions to a new contraceptive technology.