Half of British men 'definitely' or 'probably' would not be willing to take a male version of the contraceptive pill, a new national poll has found.
Polling firm YouGov revealed that a quarter (27 per cent) of surveyed men say they would 'definitely not' be willing to take it, with another quarter (23 per cent) saying they would 'probably' not.
Pollsters also looked at the reasons why men would be against taking a form of hormonal contraception and found that the most common concern is potential side effects, such as weight gain, acne and mood changes.
Currently, there are only two effective contraceptive methods available to men: condoms or a vasectomy (a minor, reversible, surgical procedure that stops sperm from reaching the semen ejaculated from the penis).
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According to the NHS, however, researchers are optimistic that a safe, effective and reversible method of male contraception will eventually become a reality, although this is still several years away.
In fact, a 2018 study from the University of Washington, Seattle found that a new birth control pill for men appears to be safe when used daily for a month, with hormone responses consistent with effective contraception.
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Like the pill for women, the experimental male oral contraceptive-called dimethandrolone undecanoate (DMAU), combines activity of an androgen (male hormone) like testosterone, and a progestin, and is taken once a day, said the study's senior investigator, Dr Stephanie Page.
"DMAU is a major step forward in the development of a once-daily 'male pill'," Page said. "Many men say they would prefer a daily pill as a reversible contraceptive, rather than long-acting injections or topical gels, which are also in development."
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