Free Dear Playboy Advisor: Questions From Men and Women to the Advice Column of Playboy Magazine by Chip Rowe

Researchers calculate that fertile women who have unprotected sex once a week over the course of their menstrual cycle have about a 15 percent chance of pregnancy; those who have sex every other day, a 33 percent chance; and those who have sex daily, a 37 percent chance. Those are good odds only if you’re trying to have a kid. Keep your condom on and leave the body temperature charts, hormone tests and guesswork to couples who are ready for the miracle of life.
     
    The male pill
    Can you give me an update on a contraceptive pill for men?—T.A., Detroit, Michigan
    Researchers have been searching for years for a pill that could shut off the sperm factory as relatively easily as the female pill shuts down a woman’s reproductive cycle. There have been many false starts. One problem is that hormonal methods can lower sperm counts to zero but usually have serious side effects, such as reduced libido, loss of muscle mass or liver damage. However, progress is being made, and there’s talk of a male patch or implant on the market in Europe by as early as 2009, followed by a U.S. debut. One promising technique is a progestin implant that reduces the hormones in the male brain that control sperm production, supplemented by a testosterone injection every 90 days to keep everything in balance. Other scientists are working on ways to make sperm too tired to swim very far, or to keep them from attaching to the egg. Keep your vasa deferentia crossed.
     
    Hot, hot, hot
    I saw some Brits on the Discovery Channel who soaked their testicles in hot water for a few hours a day, with the idea that your testicles must be cooler than your body temperature to make sperm. That’s why your scrotum hangs away from your body. It took a few weeks, but eventually the guys shot blanks. It struck me—why not create a discrete pouch to keep guys’ balls overheated? People have laughed when I explain my idea, but I think it could change the world, and make me rich.—W.S., Madison, Wisconsin
    We’re sorry to disappoint you, but you’re 80 years behind the curve. Scientists have been studying the effects of heat on sperm production since at least the 1930s, and several inventors have attempted to market testicle pouches and insulated underwear without success. Heating your balls does seem to work, but it takes discipline. One widely cited 1946 study with nine volunteers found that men who soaked their balls in 116-degree water for 45 minutes a day for three weeks become sterile for about six months. Other research has found that holding the balls extremely close to the body raises the temperature enough to impede production. But that too is a tough sell, and we wouldn’t trust either method. We’ve been writing about research into male contraception for years, and there is always something revolutionary just over the horizon. The latest technique that doesn’t involve hormones is Reversible Inhibition of Sperm Under Guidance, which is currently being tested in India. Doctors inject a gel into the vas deferens that causes the heads of passing sperm to explode. RISUG appears to be reversible when the gel is flushed, although removal requires a combination of vibration, electric current and rectal massage. Elaine Lissner of the Male Contraception Information Project (newmalecontraception.org) notes that there have been 25 years of research on RISUG but it’s still a long way from being approved in the U.S. or Europe. “This is the most promising method because we know it works,” she says. “Several dozen men in India have been using it for a decade without problems and 140 others for three or four years.”
     
    My girlfriend is horny on the pill
    Ever since my girlfriend went on the pill, she’s gotten really horny. Is it me, or could it be the drug?—T.S., Trenton, New Jersey
    It’s you—maybe. Your girlfriend may be more interested in sex because a big risk (pregnancy) has been all but eliminated. Her interest might also depend on what