Are men ready to use thermal male contraception? Acceptability in two French populations: New fathers and new providers

Abstract

BackgroundSince the 1970s, international research has actively pursued hormonal male contraception(HMC) and, to a lesser extent, thermal male contraception (TMC). Although the efficacy ofTMC has been confirmed in limited populations, its acceptability has not been studied ineither potential users or potential prescribers.MethodsA cross-sectional descriptive multicentre study of potential male users of TMC (new fathers)and potential prescribers of TMC (new providers) was conducted between November 2016and February 2017.The participants completed a 3-part survey, and their responses wereevaluated to i) determine their socio-demographic profiles; ii) identify personal experienceswith contraception; and iii) gauge the participants' knowledge, interest and preference formale contraception, particularly TMC. For new providers only, the survey included a fourthpart to evaluate professional experience with male contraception.ResultsThe participation rate was 51% for new fathers (305 NFs) and 34% for new providers (300NPs, including 97 men (male new providers, MNPs) and 203 women (female new providers,FNPs)). Only 3% of NFs and 15% of NPs knew about TMC (including 26% of the MNPs and10% of the FNPs, p0.01). After reading information on TMC, new fathers were significantlyless willing to try TMC (29%) than were new providers (40%) (p0.01). The 3 main advantagesof TMC for the new fathers included the following factors: ªnatural (52%), ªwithoutside effectsº (38%) and ªnon-hormonalº (36%). The main disadvantages were ªlengthy weartimeº (56%), ªdaily undergarment wearº (43%) and ªconcern about possible discomfortº(39%).ConclusionsYoung male and female providers have limited knowledge of male contraception, are interestedin further information and would generally prescribe TMC to their patients. Successfulexpansion of the use of male contraception, including TMC, would require distribution of betterinformation to potential users and providers.