Expectations toward a novel male fertility control method and potential user types: results of a multinational survey.

Hormonal male fertility control (MFC) has already been under investigation for decades, and several surveys have been conducted in this field in recent years. But still knowledge on the attitudes and expectations in males concerning MFC is limited. About one-third of all couples worldwide rely on male-dependent contraception methods, and the importance of the male contribution has often been underscored (Ringheim, 1996; Drenman, 1998). There have been many surveys about attitudes toward and practice of contraception in general, but only a few concerning males opinions (Keith et al, 1975; Davidson et al, 1985; Ringheim, 1993; Ezeh et al, 1996; Hulton and Falkingham, 1996; Drenman, 1998). First impressions have been achieved in some clinical studies (Bebb et al, 1996; Handelsman et al, 1996; Merrigola and Bremner, 1997; Sjörgen and Gottlieb, 2001). A few surveys showed results on knowledge, attitudes, and acceptability of male fertility control (Grady et al, 1996). A recent one showed variability within countries and ethnic groups (Glasier et al, 2000; Martin et al, 2000). Now an MFC method is at an advanced stage of development, and more extensive research on a multinational base has had to be conducted.